Suicide Prevention Policy and Mental Health Promotion
September 22, 2010
Background
The Palo Alto City Council and City Administration understand the concern that suicide poses to its residents and employees/employers. Within that framework, the City shall adopt suicide prevention strategies and intervention procedures.
These policy and procedures will be compatible with the Santa Clara County Suicide Prevention Strategic Plan that was adopted by the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors on August 24, 2010. To meet these goals, mental health care shall be promoted and there shall be support for community members in need.
Suicide Prevention Policy
This policy shall advance current strategies and best practices as designated by the Suicide Prevention Resource Center, a national agency promoting the national suicide prevention plan, and the California Suicide Prevention Plan.
This policy promotes planning, implementing, and evaluating strategies for suicide prevention and intervention and encouraging mental health care.
This will be accomplished by City staff and residents gaining a better understanding about the causes of suicide and learning appropriate methods for identifying and preventing loss of life. The policy and procedures will include training in identifying those at risk (gatekeeper training) and how to report suicide threats to the appropriate parental and professional authorities.
This policy shall provide for active collaboration on similar work by the Palo Alto Unified School district and other local and regional authorities, including Santa Clara County government. This policy shall advance current strategies, including but not limited to, parent education, youth outreach, mental health support of students, means reduction, youth mental health screenings, and grief support amongst other actions.
The implementation of this policy (and related procedures), supports initiatives and actions taken by the community task force, Project Safety Net, or any future similar committee. Their activities will be agreed upon, implemented and evaluated.
A strong and effective educational program promote the healthy mental, emotional, and social development of residents and employees/employers including, but not limited to, understanding of problem-solving skills, coping skills, and resilience. Additionally, an easily accessible list of mental health and suicide prevention resources shall be maintained.
The City Manager or his/her designee shall establish a crisis intervention plan and procedures to ensure public safety and appropriate communications in the event that a suicide occurs or an attempt is made by an individual in the City of Palo Alto. The City Manager will explore how this policy relates to the City’s Emergency Crisis Plan.
The City of Palo Alto Administration shall ensure that all staff members have been issued a copy of this suicide prevention policy and related procedures. All staff are responsible for knowing and acting upon them.
Funds to implement this policy shall be provided, when available, and shall be sought through private donations, grant applications and other sources of outside funding. Additional funding will also be sought through partnership with the Palo Alto Unified School District and other agencies with expertise in this area.
This policy shall be reviewed annually to confirm compliance and to make any necessary revisions.