Indianapolis-based Community Health Network is part of a new group of hospitals working together to stop suicide.

Research shows half the people who took their own lives interacted with someone in health care the month before their death, proving a window of opportunity exists for intervention. Those 30 days are crucial for the new Suicide Care Collaborative Improvement and Innovation Network.

Kimble Richardson, licensed mental health counselor at Community Fairbanks Behavioral Health, said he learned early in his career as a licensed mental-health counselor the importance of sharing best practices.

"Fast forward to 2023, we also are partnering in initiatives nationwide to make sure that we are leading the best practices in the nation," Richardson explained. "We can learn from each other and partner for better health outcomes, and you know, ultimately, to save lives. "

Suicide claimed around 48,000 lives in 2021, and in Indiana, the number of suicides completed has been higher than the national average for almost a quarter-century. If you or anyone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, by calling or texting 988, the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.

Richardson stressed mental-health issues are not signs of weakness and ultimately, there is hope. He added a conversation about mental health in any kind of space brings it into the open.

"This is a way to have a conversation, initially, with a person who might be inquiring, even on the telephone for help, or in person," Richardson pointed out. "There's an initial -- I'll call it a screening -- and then later, you could call it an assessment."

Julie Goldstein Grumet, vice president for suicide prevention strategy at the Education Development Center and director of the Zero Suicide Institute, said hospitals in the initiative will test, implement, refine and scale up innovations to improve the care provided to patients at risk.

"That is standardized that everybody in the system is trained to do, recognizes that there are protocols in place," Goldstein Grumet emphasized. "So that whether you're in Indiana or Florida, or New Jersey or Iowa, you are getting evidence-based, standardized, competent, caring, compassionate care."

In the next 14 months, participating hospitals will share their experiences to accelerate learning. The Suicide Care Collaborative Improvement and Innovation Network is a collaboration by The Pew Charitable Trusts and the Education Development Center.

Support for this reporting was provided by The Pew Charitable Trusts.

Indiana families are preparing kids for back-to-school season, and mental-health experts say emotional readiness is just as important as school supplies.

Beth Trammell, a psychologist and professor at Indiana University East, said kids often carry anxiety into the new school year. She encouraged parents to help children identify those fears.

"We as parents or caregivers think, 'Don't worry, or don't stress.' Instead, we might want to say, 'OK, well, let's talk about what it is you're worried about. What is the worst thing you think could happen?' If we draw it out of them," she said, "it may give them space to kind of let that out."

Helping kids feel heard can reduce stress. But experts also urge balance, keeping mornings calm, easing into routines, and not overloading schedules the first few weeks.

Nicole Brady, chief medical officer at UnitedHealthcare, said mental-health support should remain a priority throughout the year.

"Though we want our kids to be involved in activities and be social," she said, "we have to watch their academic performance, their mood, those sleep patterns, and making sure that those are staying healthy."

Brady added that parents should talk regularly with kids, model healthy coping and seek help early if warning signs appear.


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After a legislative session which opened doors to expand mental health care services across Montana, a state commission said it is considering the Billings area to build the state's second forensic facility.

For people involved in Montana's justice system whom a judge has deemed not mentally fit for their own defense, there are 53 beds in the state's only forensic facility in Galen. The daily waitlist hovers at about 100 people.

Matt Kuntz, executive director of the National Alliance on Mental Illness-Montana, said it is not meeting the immense need.

"It's just a really bad situation for the people that are in the jails, for the people that are caring for them, for the taxpayers," Kuntz outlined. "It just doesn't work for anybody."

At a recent commission meeting, Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services Director Charlie Brereton said the state is identifying a location for a new facility. The department received nearly $27 million from the state in April to fund project planning.

Kuntz noted the Montana Legislature passed many bills this session centered on mental health care.

"We really were able to get big wins in access to outpatient care, access to crisis care and for people in need of forensic hospital," Kuntz explained. "Overall, it was really an amazing legislative session for Montanans with mental health conditions."

Other mental health legislation will boost school-based services, youth in residential care, the state's 988 crisis line and certified community behavioral health clinics.


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The California Parent and Youth Helpline is in serious jeopardy after Gov. Gavin Newsom cut it from the new state budget, saying the money was needed to support medical services.

Advocates said they are puzzled because the governor has championed the helpline for years, and lawmakers approved $3 million from a separate fund dedicated to mental health, which does not affect the deficit.

Lisa Pion-Berlin, president and CEO of the nonprofit Parents Anonymous, which runs the helpline, said it is still operating 24/7, for now.

"We're holding on for the next month or so," Pion-Berlin pointed out. "But we need the state to step up, or one of these well-off philanthropists who cares about having that immediate help for emotional support, which is so vital."

Advocates are hoping funding can be restored via a budget trailer bill in the next few weeks. People can call or text and reach the helpline's trained counselors at 877-427-2736. The free helpline has connected with more than 120,000 people since its inception five years ago, and the website CAParentYouthHelpline.org has reached a million more.

Pion-Berlin noted a study in the Journal of Technology in Human Services found a call to the helpline can quickly ease parents' suffering and feelings of isolation.

"The research said that 85% of the callers in less than 30 minutes feel more positive, more hopeful and able to address their issues," Pion-Berlin reported. "There is no other service or pill I know that can do that in 30 minutes or less."

Parents Anonymous also offers free weekly support groups to steer parents and kids through emotional crises of all kinds.