TZSC -Towards Zero Suicide Coalition

GHC’s TZSC was founded in Fall of 2017 after two conferences brought together a diverse array of staff, faculty, and administration who shared interest in suicide prevention work. 

Chairs:

• Area 1 Lead – Vacant (to serve 3yrs)
• Leadership that is dedicated and committed to ending suicide and providing appropriate care through programs and services. Three areas of focus: and identified leadership group (TZSC), commitment through identification and mobilizing staff and students, leadership support.
• Area 2 Train – Susan to serve as chair 2019-2022.
• Creating a network of informed campus members on the Zero Suicide Philosophy and suicide prevention interventions (QPR, Mental Health First Aid, Connect, safeTalk, ASIST training, etc.).  
• Area 3 Identify – Tara to serve as chair 2019-2022.
• Establishing a network of care in which all campus members work to identify those at risk for suicide. This involves the development of skills sets to identify suicide risk, the knowledge of campus resources, and the ability and will to intervene appropriately.  
• Area 4 Engage – Dorothy to serve as chair 2019-2022
• Establishing an effective plan for transitioning into care those identified at risk for suicide. By developing an effective plan, each college defines their unique services and the extent of their services to adequately maintain the safety of those at risk. Effective plans also recognize college limitations and the importance of appropriate collaboration to ensure the safety of persons at risk for suicide.  
• Area 5 Treat – Angie to serve as chair 2019-2022
• Counseling professionals provide therapeutic interventions that are rooted in theory-based, empirically supported approaches that are specific to college student development and targeted to the remediation of suicidal behavior, the reduction of suicide risk factors, and the enhancement and promotion of the protective factors.  
• Area 6 Transition – Vacant (to serve 2yrs)
• Involves care for the individual identified at risk that is continuous and ongoing. Care is broadly defined as follow-up contact after the initial engagement with the persons at risk. Colleges should develop effective guidelines and procedures to maintain and extend care.
• Area 7 Improve – Vacant (to serve 2yrs)

• Dedication and commitment to engage in a culture and practice of evaluation and assessment of the efficacy of all levels of prevention services. Objective measures of the degree of impact of a college’s efforts and to inform strategic planning. Improvement is defined as assessment and evaluation of all levels of prevention services.