Suicide Prevention

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By

Drew Moffett, BS, CCJP, SQP

Drew Moffett is a Project Director with Compass Health Network in Jefferson City, Missouri. He currently leads a statewide Youth Suicide Prevention Grant funded through SAMHSA. A graduate of Lincoln University, Drew earned a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice in 2005. With more than 20 years of experience in the field, he is deeply committed to inspiring and empowering youth to live healthier, more hopeful lives.
 

Presentation(s): 

 

 

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By

Kristin Fanning, LPC, CPHQ

Kristin Fanning is a Licensed Professional Counselor with over 13 years of experience in community mental health. She also has earned a CPHQ and works in quality management, where she partners with clinical leadership to improve care outcomes, support evidence-based practices, and drive system-wide changes. While providing support to many programs at Compass Health, she is a content expert in reviewing clinical documentation for high-risk suicide clients, identifying care gaps and providing targeted feedback to strengthen suicide prevention practices.
 

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Nicole McWilliams, MA, PLPC

Nicole McWilliams, PLPC, is a passionate and resilient mental health professional currently serving as the Director of Hospital Diversion at Compass Health Network. Hospital diversion provides immediate, community-based care for individuals in crisis as an alternative to hospitalization, helping stabilize them in a less restrictive, more supportive setting. It aims to reduce ER visits while offering faster, more personalized support. With a deep commitment to supporting individuals on their journey to recovery, her work is grounded in a belief in second chances, community healing, and the power of human connection.
 

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Strengthening Suicide Prevention Systems: Data, Crisis Response, and Youth-Focused Strategies Within the Zero Suicide Framework

Room: Paradise A

Speaker(s): 

Nicole McWilliams, MA, PLPC

Kristin Fanning, LPC, CPHQ

Drew Moffett, BS, CCJP, SQP

Michelle Horvath, MA, LPC

Presentation: Suicide prevention requires a comprehensive, systemwide approach that is proactive rather than reactive. The Zero Suicide framework provides organizations with the structure to build safer, more effective care pathways for individuals at risk. This panel will bring together experts in quality improvement, statewide crisis operations, and youth suicide prevention to explore how multi‑departmental collaboration can operationalize Zero Suicide principles with measurable impact. Presenters will discuss how to leverage data to identify gaps and drive continuous improvement, how 988 and crisis service lines integrate Zero Suicide practices in real-time interventions, and how youth‑focused initiatives build protective environments through schools and family partnerships. Participants will leave with actionable strategies and examples of systemwide coordination that strengthens safety nets across the continuum of care.

Objectives:

  • Describe how Zero Suicide core elements can be applied within diverse behavioral health and crisis service settings.
  • Identify key data sources and metrics that support effective suicide care pathways and quality improvement.
  • Explain how 988 and ACI services integrate Zero Suicide principles during crisis response, follow-up care, and transitions.
  • Apply youth-specific suicide prevention approaches that engage schools, families, and community supports.

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Public Health Approach to Firearm Suicide Prevention

Room: Paradise A

Speaker(s): 

Sorg, Shanna

Rice-Portwood, Reba

Description: 

The Safer Homes Collaborative (SHC) is dedicated to tackling the urgent issue of firearm-related suicides through lethal means safety (LMS). Over the past seven years, SHC has navigated numerous challenges and achieved significant milestones in messaging, bridging research gaps, reducing stigma, fostering collaboration and partnerships, and securing ongoing funding. This workshop highlights the imperative for behavioral health professionals and community partners to integrate LMS strategies into their comprehensive suicide prevention efforts.

Objectives

1. A foundational understanding of the National and Missouri suicide prevention plans, including the focus on firearm suicide prevention
2. A foundational understanding of the four target audiences that Safer Homes Collaborative focuses on
3. Practical strategies and evidence-based approaches to integrate firearm suicide prevention into their community health initiatives, ultimately contributing to a comprehensive approach to suicide prevention
By

Public Health Approach to Firearm Suicide Prevention

Room

Speaker(s): 

Sorg, Shanna

Description: 

The Safer Homes Collaborative (SHC) is dedicated to tackling the urgent issue of firearm-related suicides through lethal means safety (LMS). Over the past seven years, SHC has navigated numerous challenges and achieved significant milestones in messaging, bridging research gaps, reducing stigma, fostering collaboration and partnerships, and securing ongoing funding. This workshop highlights the imperative for behavioral health professionals and community partners to integrate LMS strategies into their comprehensive suicide prevention efforts.

Objectives

1. Review the National and Missouri suicide prevention plans, including the focus on firearm suicide prevention

2. Discuss the four target audiences that Safer Homes Collaborative focuses on

3. Describe practical strategies and evidence-based approaches to integrate firearm suicide prevention into community health initiatives, ultimately contributing to a comprehensive approach to suicide prevention

By

The Suicide Continuum Unmasked: Understanding Suicide Through a New Lens

Room: Paradise A

Speaker(s): 

Andrews, Bart, PhD

Description: 

The standard model of the suicide continuum suggest people start with thoughts of escapist ideation, and, if things don’t get better, gradually progress through the dimension of non-morbid escapist ideation, to morbid ideation, to passive suicidal ideation to active suicidal ideation, etc. The research doesn’t support this progression. Up to 75% of those who die by suicide denied suicidal thoughts in their last visit behavioral health visit prior to their death. Many that attempt and survive suicide deny recalling suicide thoughts until just upon their attempt. We clinicians need to have a better understanding of the limitations of our suicide risk models and adopt new approaches when working with our clients.

Objectives

1. Review the standard suicide continuum model
2. Explore research that conflicts with this model
3. Identify aspects of standard care that impede better intervention

By

Ward, Racheal, MA

Racheal Ward is the Grant Development Officer, Grant Management and Supervisor for the Firearm Suicide Prevention Grant, and Project Director for the CMHC Grant initiative: Coordinated Solutions at FCC Behavioral Health. She has been with the agency for a little over 9 years. Previously, she has held the positions of Program Director of Youth Mental Health and CPRC Services and Clinical Manager of the Stabilization & Crisis Program (now the Behavioral Health Clinic). As the Grant Development Officer, Racheal is responsible for the writing and development of various grant opportunities for FCC Behavioral Health. As the Program Director for Youth CPRC, Racheal was instrumental in working with local school districts to develop a comprehensive school-based program that has spread to many of the school districts in the FCC Behavioral Health catchment area. Under her leadership, the Youth Mental Health Program, known as Youth STAR, grew from a census of 270 to over 1200 active clients.

Presentation(s):

Firearm Suicide Prevention: A Nascent Approach to preventing Suicide in Rural Southeast Missouri

 

 

By

Daniel, AE, MD, MRC Psych

Dr. A. E. Daniel, is a forensic psychiatrist with decades of experience in mental health and correctional psychiatry. Daniel has worked with mental ill suicidal inmates. In doing so, he worked with correctional officers and other professionals. He was a mental health and correctional administrator, having worked as the Director of Psychiatric Services for the Missouri Department of Corrections between 2000-2007. For several years, he provided direct psychiatric services in a county Jail and various prisons in Missouri. In addition, he has analyzed about 130 inmates who committed suicide. He has published his research on inmate suicide in peer reviewed professional journals. He has testified as an expert witness in Federal and state courts where suicide led to lawsuits. Along with seven distinguished researchers and clinicians from US, Canada and Europe, he updated Resource Guide on Suicide Prevention in Jails for the World health Organization in 2006.

Presentation(s):

Prevent Suicide in Jails and Prisons: Save Lives and Avoid Lawsuits