CEOs and Community Influencers Engage in Suicide Prevention Forum

6^th US/Canada Forum on Workplace, Mental Health and Productivity in Denver

Denver, Colorado. October 4, 2014. This past Friday, the 6th US/Canada Forum on Workplace, Mental Health and Productivity was held in Denver, Colorado, hosted by tw telecom, the Carson J Spencer Foundation, and Mental Health International. The theme for this year's Forum was unprecedented: how employers can make suicide prevention a health and safety priority. Almost 70 CEOs and high level community influencers participated in this five-hour Forum including top representatives from RK Mechanical, the U.S. Postal Service, Wells Fargo, Bank of the West, Denver Fire Department and Level (3).

Governor Hickenlooper welcomed the esteemed guests and applauded their efforts in taking the time to expand their knowledge and the willingness to take what they learn back to their networks.  “Suicide affects three families per day in Colorado and Colorado is consistently one of the 10 highest states in suicide rates.  The first step in prevention is creating an environment where people can talk about it, including the workplace.  Our goal is to build support, and the workplace provides a huge opportunity for prevention efforts.”

Host and CEO of tw telecom Larissa Herda shared her own experience around family members who have had struggles with mental health illnesses that have led to suicide.  She also echoed the Governor’s hope in seeing the workplace as a safe environment for people to feel like they have support and can access help.  “Through sharing my own story, I have opened the doors for others in our company (tw telecom) to share theirs.”   

The conversation that took place among participants demonstrated genuine interest in understanding leaders’ role in getting upstream from the crisis of suicidal behavior. They understood both the human and economic costs of suicide deaths and attempts and wanted to know more about the strategies involved in preventing or alleviating that level of despair and isolation. International mental health and suicide prevention experts from all over the U.S., Canada and Australia shared several leadership and programmatic tactics that have been shown to improve outcomes such as strategic communication, skill training, mental health resources, and more. Additional presenters included U.S. Army General Peter Chiarelli (Ret), Colorado Senator Linda Newell, and former NFL player Dwight Hollier.

“We need to promote the human dignity of people living with mental health conditions. The opposite of isolation is connectedness the opposite of despair is hope, as leaders and organizations you can help create these protective factors in the workplace.” Eduardo Vega – Executive Director, Mental Health Association of San Francisco

“Why do we not talk about mental health in the workplace? Myths and Stigma.  Business leaders are our community gatekeepers, but are often not trained appropriately.  There is no way to break stigma through silence.  Business leaders are often champions of a cause, and have the ability to create significant change.” Joel Bosch – Chief Operating Officer, eCD Market

As indicated by requests for follow-up, the momentum from this event promises to be great. The energy was palatable as these leaders left to go back to their busy lives; their hearts were moved with a relevant call to action, and they were equipped to begin a road map for next steps.