OAHHS Hospital Voice Fall/Winter 2019

24 » A magazine for and about Oregon Community Hospitals. SUICIDE PREVENTION PROGRAM WORKS TO SAVE LIVES ON AND OFF HOSPITAL GROUNDS By Elijah Penner, Salem Health Suicide is one of Oregon’s most persistent and devastating public health problems. The numbers tell the story. More than 600 lives are lost to suicide every year, with families and loved ones left behind to cope with the loss. Adolescent mental health is a major issue across the state. According to the Oregon Health Authority, suicide rates climbed 78% in Oregon between 2007 and 2017, well above the national average. Suicide is the second leading cause of death for Oregonians aged 10–24. Given its high rate of adolescent mental illness, Oregon ranks in the bottom 10% of the country for access to care. SalemHealth has made the issue a priority and is working on both ends of this societal challenge. At SalemHospital, caregivers provide motivational interviewing to mental health patients. They sit with them and help them think through the issues they are facing, then they develop a plan together. “Collaborative problem solving is a key component,” said Robert Wolf, MD, SalemHealth psychiatrist. “When an individual can identify an issue and resolve it on their own, it is empowering.” SalemHealth also works with Marion County Psychiatric Crisis Center which offers counseling sessions based on the Collaborative Assessment and Management of Suicidality (CAMS) philosophy. Clinicians engage youth with direct and respectful candor, showing empathy while youth become co-authors of their own treatment plan. “Many families seek help and want their child hospitalized,” said Michael Williams, emergency mental health supervisor at SalemHealth. If a patient is in crisis, a hospital admission is often appropriate. But clinicians also understand that improvement often happens outside the hospital. “Resources are always an issue, but we also recognize that sometimes a hospitalization contributes to stigma. These sessions help avoid that.” Addressing Underlying Causes Meanwhile, SalemHealth also performs prevention work in the community and seeks long-term solutions by reducing the stigma surrounding mental illness and suicide for both youth and adults. “So much of it is about normalizing the conversation,” said Leilani Slama, SalemHealth vice president of community engagement. “We want parents to talk to their kids and for young people to feel they have an outlet. It has to come from both directions.” Over the past 18 months, in partnership with Salem Police and the Salem-Keizer School District, Salem Health staff facilitated a series of listening sessions in area high schools.