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Jointly Addressing Substance Use and Suicide in Colorado

A seated group of people listen to a speaker
First integrated SBIRT and suicide care curriculum to support Colorado trainers and health professionals
  • Client
    Peer Assistance Services, Inc.
  • Dates
    May 2021 – October 2021

Problem

Substance use and suicide risk are major public health concerns in Colorado.

Substance use, mental health, and suicide risk pose major health and safety concerns for youth and adults in Colorado and across the United States. In addition, substance use is a significant risk factor for suicide. Unfortunately, many health professionals lack the essential skills, training, and resources needed to effectively prevent and intervene when substance use and suicide ideation arise. This gap underscores the need for comprehensive training programs to equip health professionals with the necessary tools to jointly address co-occurring behavioral health risks.  

Solution

NORC partnered with Peer Assistance Services, Inc. to develop SBIRT-Suicide Care training.

NORC partnered with Peer Assistance Services, Inc. (PAS) to incorporate suicide care into PAS’s standard Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) curriculum, creating a novel approach called SBIRT-Suicide Care (SBIRT-SC). SBIRT-SC is an integrated public health approach that simultaneously identifies and provides care to individuals using substances and/or who are at risk of suicide.

Besides developing the training, NORC demonstrated the training to PAS training and technical assistance providers, held a two-hour Q&A session, and developed a trainers guide to prepare PAS staff to answer implementation-related questions they may receive from trainees. In addition, NORC developed a promotional guide for the training that contained sample communication materials as well as a pre-recorded virtual tour of the training. 

Result

Our efforts are expanding Colorado’s capacity to address substance use and suicide risk.

The integrated SBIRT-SC training and supporting materials developed through this project helped equip PAS training and technical assistance providers to deliver SBIRT-SC training and support implementation of the model throughout Colorado. Ultimately, health professionals across the state will have access to training that helps them jointly address substance use and suicide risk among the communities they serve.

Learn More

To learn more about the project and SBIRT trainings, visit NORC's SBIRT website.

Project Leads

"We took a true public health approach to substance use and suicide prevention with Peer Assistance Services. Instead of delivering training, we tailored Colorado’s existing SBIRT curriculum and coached the state’s training and technical assistance providers to deliver the new SBIRT-Suicide Care training to health professionals across the state. The impact was exponential compared to a simple training."

Senior Research Scientist

"We took a true public health approach to substance use and suicide prevention with Peer Assistance Services. Instead of delivering training, we tailored Colorado’s existing SBIRT curriculum and coached the state’s training and technical assistance providers to deliver the new SBIRT-Suicide Care training to health professionals across the state. The impact was exponential compared to a simple training."

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