New Violence Data Dashboard Reveals Opportunities to Talk About Suicide

March 2, 2023

The March 1 launch of a new public health dashboard reveals that 55% of Minnesotans dying by suicide from 2015 to 2020 had a current mental health problem and 48% had a history of mental health treatment.  

The dashboard uses data from the Minnesota Violent Death Reporting System, which pulls together information about violent deaths including suicide, homicide, unintentional firearm, law enforcement intervention or other undetermined violent death between 2015 and 2020.  

The data suggests that physicians have opportunities to prevent suicides by increasing the effectiveness of treatments and access to those treatments

The MMA Foundation offers MMA members physician-led training on two evidence-based suicide prevention training programs. These are free for MMA members.

Question-Persuade-Refer (QPR) Gatekeeper Training is a 1.5-hour, evidence-based presentation that teaches best practices in suicide prevention and three steps to help prevent suicide. Attendees can earn CME credit.   

Counseling on Access to Lethal Means (CALM) is designed to provide counseling strategies to help patients at risk for suicide and their families reduce access to lethal means, particularly (but not exclusively) firearms.  
 
For more information or to schedule a QPR or CALM training at your clinic, contact Kristen Gloege. The suicide prevention trainings are sponsored by the MMA Foundation and made possible through the gifts to the MMA Foundation.

The MMA has organized a coalition of physicians and other interested individuals and groups on the topic of firearm safety and suicide prevention - with a goal of helping physicians address suicide by firearm in rural Minnesota. For more information, contact Juliana Milhofer.  

To learn more about the state’s new tool, visit the Minnesota Violent Death Reporting System (MNVDRS) Dashboard.