You really liked Phoenix.
Thanks to the nearly 400 attendees who shared their feedback in the 2017 American Association of Suicidology conference survey. We utilized SurveyMonkey global benchmark questions that allowed us to compare our results with thousands of similar events.
In April, Phoenix is proud to host the 50th annual conference of the American Association of Suicidology. The theme is Honoring the Past and Innovating for the Future, and nearly 1,500 leaders from around the country will convene at the Hyatt Regency to network and share. They will be researchers, healthcare workforce, crisis services staff, family and friends of someone who died of suicide, and individuals with a lived experience of surviving a suicide attempt. Continue reading
In February, Suicide Prevention Australia (SPA) and RI International will partner with the International Initiative for Mental Health Leadership (IIMHL) to co-host the third ever global summit on Zero Suicide.
Sue Murray is Chief Executive for SPA, and brings a wealth of experience from her decade leading the National Breast Cancer Foundation and making it one of the most widely recognized organizations in the community sector. She suggested our theme for translating an international declaration into local action. Continue reading
On Friday, 11 Phoenix-area, non-profit organizations gathered together for the 15th bi-annual Tournament of Hope. What did they have in common? Each employs a significant peer workforce to walk alongside and support individuals on the road to recovery. Oh… and they also all love a double-elimination kick-ball championship.
Mercy Maricopa Integrated Care’s Chief Operating Officer Angelo Edge served as Master of Ceremonies and participants were encouraged to leave the day with more friends than they had when they arrived. AHCCCS Director Tom Betlach was also in attendance representing Arizona Medicaid. Continue reading
We live in an age of fear of mental health crises; when movie goers may feel compelled to scan the audience before taking a seat, and a Senator files a wrongful death suit against his state to ensure that his personal tragedy is not repeated. The fact is, as the DHHS states, only 3-5% of violent acts can be attributed to individuals living with a serious mental illness (SMI), and those with SMI are 10 times more likely to be victims of violent crimes than the general population. Continue reading
“This is not working for me,” the man muttered in my direction as he stormed out of the large banquet room. It was November 19, 2012, and the mood at the Goldwater Institute annual dinner was somber after Mitt Romney’s clock had been cleaned by President Obama just days earlier.
Today, I’m the CEO and President of a non-partisan, not for profit 501c3 Community Mental Health Center, RI International, but at the time Continue reading
It was the late 1990s, and there was little published evidence on the efficacy of peer supports. Georgia’s Wendy Tiegreen had grown up in behavioral health… literally. Her father led a non-profit community mental health center, and she had seen the volunteer corps of people in recovery firsthand. These individuals understood the level of pain others were experiencing and were frequently providing informal supports. Wendy had heard of a couple of pockets of similar programs in New York, but that was about it. Continue reading
