Last month more than 100 health professionals, community members and organisations were joined by Professor Ed Coffey and Sue Murray at a Towards Zero Suicide event at the Mater Hospital in Newcastle.
The Hunter New England Local Health District (HNELHD) were pleased to host Professor C. Edward Coffey MD of the Medical University of South Carolina, to share his knowledge as one of the leaders who developed the Zero Suicide framework in the USA.
Sue Murray, Director of Zero Suicide Institute of Australasia (ZSIA) also presented at the event and is leading the development of the Zero Suicide Healthcare and Crisis Now frameworks in Australia. Ms Murray presented on the work ZSIA is doing within Australian healthcare systems to enhance the quality and safety of those who are suicidal and come into contact with our hospital systems.
The Zero Suicide event was supported by NSW Ministry of Health and HNELHD to begin planning for implementation of new ways of working in line with best practice and the Zero Suicide framework.
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If zero isn’t the right number for our goal, then what number is? We made a promise to eliminate suicide, not reduce, but eliminate.
Following the event, Life in Mind had the chance to speak with Professor Coffey and take some footage for the website. We discussed the zero suicide framework and how it could be used to build on the existing work being undertaken in the Newcastle region.
More on the Zero Suicide Institute of Australasia, visit: https://www.zerosuicide.com.au/
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