STAY SAFE Partnership Plans to Address Youth Suicide

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Youth suicide is a rising health crisis in Denver. In fact, the city leads national statistics of death by suicide among young people by nearly 2-to-1. Between 2016 and 2019, the rate of deaths by suicide in Denver youth rose from 12.9 to 20.4 per 100,000. However, the availability of inpatient services, as well as intense services after hospital discharges, has decreased.

First Youth Suicide Prevention Program of Its Kind in Colorado

With funding from the Caring for Denver Foundation, the WellPower created the Supporting Teens and Youth through Safety and Family Empowerment (STAY SAFE) Partnership. The program is for youth ages 12-19, in Denver County, who have experienced a recent suicide attempt or severe suicidal ideation. The STAY SAFE Partnership is the first program of its kind in the state of Colorado.

STAY SAFE Partnership Services

The STAY SAFE Partnership offers a variety of culturally responsive services for youth and their families, including:

  • Individual Therapy
  • Family Therapy
  • Psychiatry (Including Psychiatric Evaluation)
  • Medication Administration & Management
  • Case Management
  • Parent & Caregiver Support

We provide services for two to four hours per week for four to six weeks, depending on specific needs. On average, the people we serve are in treatment for four weeks.

Evidence-Based Practices that Address Youth Suicide

The STAY SAFE Partnership uses evidence-based practices to provide a short-term model of suicide stabilization, including:

  • Zero Suicide: An initiative that offers a set of tools and strategies to improve care and outcomes for individuals at risk of suicide.
  • Collaborative Assessment and Management of Suicidality (CAMS): A practice that treats youth-defined suicidal drivers to reduce suicidal ideation, depression and hopelessness.

Evidence-based treatment plans include individual and family sessions, as well as sessions that bring youth and their families together with the treatment team.

Contact Us

To learn more about the STAY SAFE Partnership, please call 303.504.7900 or email us at accesscenter@wellpower.org.

In addition to meeting families in their homes and providing telehealth services, the STAY SAFE Partnership operates out of three of the WellPower’s locations:

  • Colorado Crisis Services: 4353 E. Colfax Ave. | Denver
  • Child & Family Services at North Federal: 1405 Federal Blvd. | Denver
  • Dahlia Campus for Health & Well-Being: 3401 Eudora St. | Denver