Suicide expert to provide training for health professionals Feb. 22

COEUR d'ALENE — Idaho is consistently among the states with the highest suicide rates.

According to the Suicide Prevention Action Network of Idaho, Idaho had the ninth-highest suicide rate in 2014, which was 46 percent higher than the national average.

That same year, 320 people committed suicide in Idaho. Suicide is the second leading cause of death for Idahoans ages 15-34 and for males ages 10-14.

On Feb. 22, suicide expert David Rudd, Ph.D., will provide Assessing and Managing Suicide Risk training for behavioral health, substance abuse and primary care professionals in the Fox Auditorium of Kootenai Health.

Rudd will provide his AMSR training with expanded clinical demonstrations, case examples and question-and-answer opportunities. He is providing the specific training at three locations in Idaho, including Boise on Feb. 24 and Pocatello on Feb. 25.

The workshop is presented by the Idaho Lives Project with the primary goal of providing the participants with the essential tools needed to accurately assess suicide risk and manage challenging scenarios in an effective fashion.

Attendees who are behavioral health providers may choose to be included on the Idaho Suicide Prevention Hotline’s referral list and flagged as "LP-trained professionals." Every caller to the hotline who is referred will be referred to at least one flagged professional.

Federal funder guidelines require that all training participants have current licensing and a minimum of two years of experience in their licensed field of work.

Rudd's expanded AMSR training is $20 per person and goes from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Continuing medical education (CME)s and continuing education unit (CEU)s are available.

Register online at www.spanidaho.org. Registration deadline is Monday.

For information, contact Jennifer Dickey at jdickey@idaholives.org.

The 24/7 National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is 1-800-273-8255.