Adler joins suicide-prevention campaign

Mayor Steve Adler has joined a national campaign to prevent suicides among veterans, with a consortium of local agencies taking part. Sly Majid, the city’s chief service officer, is leading the effort to review the city’s approach to suicide prevention and working to develop an action plan with partner groups to fill in gaps in how the city operates. Among the participating groups are Central Health, Integral Care, Austin Community College, Austin Police Department, Dell Medical School and the School of Social Work at the University of Texas, and the Austin Fire Department. The program’s goals include gathering data on the issues involved in suicide and prevention, employing best practices to prevent and respond to suicide attempts, and defining the desired outcomes and deadline to measure success. Adler announced Austin’s participation in a press conference last week. The national campaign is being led by the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration.