Suicide Prevention & Mental Health Promotion

Suicide Prevention & Mental Health Promotion Programs

Our programs support up-stream efforts to prevent suicide and promote mental wellness in Lane County. Our programs provide:

  • Information on suicide and mental health trends in Lane County
  • Trainings and technical consultation on suicide and crisis intervention and response
  • Information on evidence-based and community resources to support mental wellness
  • Crisis support in the aftermath of suicide deaths (Postvention)
  • Coordination of cross-sector collaborative efforts to prevent suicide.

Crisis Information:

If you are concerned that you or someone else is at risk for suicide please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988 or 1800-273-8255

If you feel that someone is at imminent risk of suicide please call 911.

Programs and Services

Suicide Surveillance

We analyze and monitor historical and real-time population level trends in suicidal behavior. This work supports our ability to inform prevention efforts and respond to emerging behavioral health issues. For more information on suicide in Lane County, please refer to the report: Suicide In Lane County 2000-2020: Updated Trends, Risk Factors and Recommendations.

Training & Technical Consultation

We train community members and professionals in suicide intervention and response practice. Please refer to the list of trainings below to find the right training for you. Contact Del Quest for registration and scheduling information.

Question, Persuade, Refer (QPR) – (2 hrs) QPR is appropriate for all community members who want to learn how to identify people at risk for suicide, intervene effectively and compassionately and refer them to appropriate care.

Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST) – (2 days) ASIST is an advanced training appropriate for professionals and other informal caregivers who are responsible for the identification of people at risk for suicide, intervention, safety planning and referral to higher levels of care.

Connect Postvention – (4 hrs) The Connect training is appropriate for people in leadership positions who response to deaths by suicide within their organization or the community at large. Connect covers information on suicide bereavement, contagion and clustering, how to develop an organizational postvention plan and relevant Oregon rules and legislation.

Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) – (8 hrs) MHFA is an introductory workshop appropriate for all community members who want to learn about different mental health disorders, signs of crisis and how to help people in distress.

Technical Consultation – Program staff works with a variety of organizations including private businesses, social service providers, schools and others to support their needs as they implement suicide prevention activities in their setting. Work may include topics such as screening, assessment, safety planning, treatment, postvention and other special topics.

Community Engagement

Members of The Suicide Prevention Coalition of Lane County (SPCLC) are people with lived experience of suicide, and professionals working in schools, healthcare, social services, private businesses and more. The group is chaired by community members and staffed by Lane County Public Health representatives. The SPCLC’s mission is to implement proactive strategies to bring awareness and education about suicide prevention to people in Lane County. For more information on the work of the SPCLC and how to get involved click on their website suicidepreventlane.org.

Lane County Resources

Click here for a list of Lane County contacts and resources, including: crisis hotlines and services, behavioral health and substance use services, support groups, bereavement services, and mental health promotion. [Last updated August 2023]

Haga clic aquí para obtener una lista de ecursos de salud mental y prevención del suicidio del condado de Lane

Youth and Adolescents

Garrett Lee Smith Youth Suicide Prevention Program

Program staff works with school districts to develop capacity in suicide prevention and implement the requirements of SB 52 (Adi’s Act). We provide training and technical consultation on suicide prevention, intervention and postvention practices.

Postvention Response

Per SB 561, we monitor and respond to deaths by suicide of children and adolescents (≤24 of age) in Lane County. Our postvention response team identifies populations impacted by suicide deaths to ensure they have connection to resources to promote healing and prevent further suicides.

March 2022 Postvention Resources

Lane County School Info Session re: Suicide Alert – March 17th, 2022 (Slide Deck)

Lane County School Info Session re: Suicide Alert – March 17th, 2022 (Video Recording)

Toolkit for Schools – Lane County Suicide Postvention 2022

Community Resilience Forum – April 14, 2022

Universal Screening and Safety Planning Info Session – April 18th, 2022

Self-Harm: Suicidal & Non-Suicidal Self Injury Information Night – April 25th, 2022

Lane County Board of Health Report – Postvention is Prevention – May 3rd, 2022

Program Staff:

Del Quest – Suicide Prevention Coordinator

VACANT – Youth Suicide Prevention Specialist

Adria Godon-Bynum – Youth Suicide Prevention Education Specialist