The recent Ottawa County Youth Assessment survey revealed an unsettling trend: increased depression, suicidal ideation, and suicide attempts amongst youth. In every classroom of 13–18 year olds, five students had seriously considered taking their life and two had made one or more attempts.
Mental health is a growing concern in our community, and health service providers are on the front lines. In 2015, Spectrum Health Medical Group developed the Blue Envelope initiative — an action plan for staff to follow with suicidal patients. The envelope includes a guide for the initial responder, assessment tools for the provider to determine the severity of the situation, and a safety plan template. The program uses the acronym S.A.F.E. — Stay with the patient; Access help; Feelings: validate them; Eliminate lethal means.
Upon learning about Blue Envelope, the Ottawa County Suicide Prevention Coalition began a discussion about whether the program could be implemented by schools struggling with the growing epidemic of youth suicide. A $65,000 grant from our Community’s Endowment provided funding to pilot the program in eight Ottawa County schools. Jody Sprague, Clinical Program Specialist for Suicide Prevention at Spectrum Health, said, “The investment from The Community Foundation of the Holland/Zeeland Area gave us extra credibility with the schools, helped raise the awareness of this issue, and positioned us for future growth.”
Within participating schools, over 300 individuals received training to identify and respond to suicidal students. These individuals were categorized as either Level 1 (initial and second responder) or Level 2 (professional support staff and school administration). Level 1 responders, after being made aware of a student with thoughts of suicide, initiate the Blue Envelope protocol. Level 2 responders use professionally recognized tools to determine whether a student is low, moderate, or high risk and respond with appropriate steps. They implement a nationally recognized safety plan, helping students create an individualized plan to remain safe at school and at home. They also offer personalized coping tools, resources for parents, and coordination with medical professionals.
Jodie Reimink, Community Health Program Specialist, explained, “Overwhelmingly, the schools appreciate these tools. Now they are comfortable and confident they are doing the right thing. Before it was a gray area; they never really knew if what they were doing was appropriate or not.”
Blue Envelope’s emphasis on crisis response has been complementary to prevention-based initiatives already being offered in local schools, with staff reporting they now feel able to recognize and respond to students with mental health concerns. The pilot also yielded important feedback — such as expanding training to respond to suicidal threats made on social media and incidents that happen outside of school hours. “It’s in early stages,” said Jodie, “but there’s so much potential. We’re really encouraged by the responsiveness of the schools and community.”
Originally featured in CFHZ’s 2019 Annual Report.