AUGUSTA, MAINE - Every 14 minutes, someone dies by suicide in the United States. In 2011, 224 Maine people-four each week-died by suicide. Suicide is widely recognized as a public health problem requiring attention and action.
On Friday, March 14, The Maine Suicide Prevention Program (MSPP) will host its annual conference, Beyond the Basics in Suicide Prevention, at the Augusta Civic Center. The event will feature experts discussing issues such as older adult suicide, sexual violence, survivors and Maine's new training law for public schools.
**Carol Podgorski, PhD, MPH, MS MFT**, Associate Professor of Psychiatry, University of Rochester Medical Center, N.Y., will focus on suicide prevention in older adults, promoting mental health and reducing risk factors. **David Jobes, PhD, ABPP**, Professor of Psychology, Associate Director of Clinical Training, The Catholic University of America, will discuss trends in health care settings that are creating unique challenges and potential responses to effectively managing suicide risk across a spectrum of care.
The day will feature workshops on law enforcement and mental health/crisis services collaboration, the needs of school communities when a person dies by suicide, child and adolescent risks and implementing the Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale, a nationally recognized tool, from crisis to the Emergency Room and into the psychiatric hospital.
In the early afternoon, *The Caring About Lives in Maine Awards* will be presented to individuals representing the Bangor Police Department, Rockland Police Department, Penobscot County Sheriff's Office, Maine Medical Center and Maranacook Community High School for their work in suicide prevention and intervention.
