Lelach Rave, MD, FAAP
The AAP and the AFSP (American Foundation for Suicide Prevention) have embarked on a new collaborative venture, the Suicide Prevention Ambassador Program. The program will be rolled out in three stages. Approximately 20 of the nearly 60 AAP Chapters across the US and Puerto Rico are participating in this first stage from January through August 2023. We are excited that WCAAP has been selected as one of the twenty initial chapters to participate in the first cohort.
Each participating Chapter will have a designated Ambassador. I have volunteered to assume this role for WCAAP and along with Jennifer Donahue, WCAAP Communications Manager, will participate in a monthly ECHO (Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes) session. These meetings will provide direction to Ambassadors in the development of their Chapter’s suicide prevention goals and plan, based on strategies described in the Blueprint for Youth Suicide Prevention, and will also serve as a forum for the sharing of successes and brainstorming solutions to problems.
In this role, I am looking forward to collaborating with WCAAP members and leadership, relevant community agencies and service providers, national AAP leadership, and other Chapter Ambassadors across the country.
In order to get off to a productive start I would kindly request that Chapter members forward to me any ideas that you may have regarding prospective projects and perceived needs for the Chapter in the area of suicide prevention. Please forward your ideas and concerns to me at lelach.rave@gmail.com. I look forward to hearing from you and to working together to address the mental health needs of children throughout Washington.
As we develop our suicide prevention goals and plans, we will share resources via Developments each month. Please let us know if you have any resources you would like us to highlight. Below are just a few links that may be of interest:
Blueprint for Youth Suicide Prevention
988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline (AFSP)
#MentalHealthMatters Video Series (AAP)
Teen Suicide Prevention Videos in Spanish and English (MDAAP)
Reconstructing Resilience: Mental Health Literacy Tickets, Thu, May 4, 2023 at 8:30 AM | Eventbrite
Downloadable Materials – Safer Homes, Suicide Aware (saferhomescoalition.org)
Forefront videos: Forefront Videos | Forefront Suicide Prevention – University of Washington (intheforefront.org)