Essentia Health-Fargo Pediatrics Team Completes Suicide-Prevention Training

The Essentia Health-Fargo pediatrics team recently completed suicide-prevention training through SafeSide Prevention.

Held by the North Dakota American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP), the training – SafeSide Primary CARE – was made possible by a grant from the North Dakota Department of Human Services’ Behavioral Health Division.

As part of its Project 2025 initiative to reduce the suicide rate 20% by 2025, the AFSP has identified health care systems as one of four critical areas through which the most lives can be saved in the shortest amount of time. 

According to SafeSide, about a third of people who die by suicide visit a primary care provider within a month of their death. Dr. Dhilhan Marasinghe, section chair of pediatrics for Essentia Health’s West Market, explains that youth in particular are at risk in the digital age.

“With the introduction of social media and smartphone access, we've seen a national spike in the number of suicidal thoughts and active suicides in our teenage population,” said Dr. Marasinghe. “From a pediatrician standpoint, this training is very important for us.”

The three-part interactive video-based training provides a framework for supporting a cohesive approach to screen for suicide risk in primary care. It equips the team, from nurses and rooming staff to providers, with practical actions to take when a patient may be thinking about suicide.

“I want our patients to know that our pediatrics team takes this very seriously, and that's why we have committed to this as an entire team,” said Dr. Marasinghe. “If we can all train together, work as a team, and even save one kid from suicide, that’s a win on our part.”

The SafeSide Primary CARE training details how best to respond to suicide concerns within the time and resource constraints of primary care.

“One of the most important things for suicide prevention is knowing what questions to ask and being comfortable with those questions,” said Dr. Marasinghe.

Conversations are divided into four parts – connect, assess, respond and extend – with different learning objectives and standardized questions and prompts.

• Connect: Develop a relationship with the patient and piece together their story.

• Assess: Gather and summarize information that’s actionable, not just about “risk.”

• Respond: Determine an initial plan for the now as well as possible contingencies.

• Extend: Establish roles for family and other supports and provide referrals to behavioral health.

“Our goal is that when a kid is ready to talk about their suicidal thoughts, anyone on our team can jump in,” explained Dr. Marasinghe. “Doctors aren’t the only ones who can have these conversations. And it’s not just can we stop suicide, but can we get these patients better?”

In addition to the Fargo pediatrics team, Essentia Health family medicine providers and pediatricians in Jamestown, Valley City and Lisbon are participating in the North Dakota grant-funded SafeSide Primary CARE training.

SafeSide serves organizations in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the UK and the U.S. It provides leadership consultation and workforce education for health, mental health, educational and governmental organizations seeking to unite and inspire their mental health and primary care workforces to prevent suicide.

Learn more about Essentia’s behavioral and mental health services and how to get help and support a loved one at afsp.org/get-help.