(2016), the White Mountain Apache Suicide Surveillance and Prevention System began as a community surveillance tool, designed to track suicide, attempted suicides and suicidal ideation, as the community recognized that the suicide data that was reported by the Indian Health Service and the Center for Disease Control (CDC) appeared to by lower than the data the specific to their region. The White Mountain Apache Tribe set out to explore the differences in the national data and their community level suicide data. In a 5 year span, 2001 through 2006, rate of suicide for persons 15-24 years of age was 128.5/100,000, 13 times higher than the overall rate in the United States and 7 times higher that the American Indian rate. In 2006, the White Mountain Apache Tribe created multifaceted youth suicide prevention strategies and the results are promising; from 2007-2012 the suicide rate dropped 5.5 percent in the 15-19 years of age group and dropped 36.8 percent in the 20 through 24 years of age range. These statistics are even more impressive considering the overall suicide rate in the United States has remained relatively the …show more content…
This awareness can be implemented immediately by involving teachers, parents, school nurses, law enforcement, healthcare providers, counselors, tribal leaders, clergymen, firefighters, emergency medical personnel, caregivers, women and if possible, suicide survivors to provide counseling and youth activities. Once we have all the participants, master’s prepared nurses will provide education for early identification of mental health. The training will help them recognized who is at risk. The SOS Signs of Suicide and The White Mountain Apache Suicide Surveillance and Prevention System tool will be incorporated into the education program and will guide our