A program at Children's Nebraska, a hospital in Omaha, has had resounding success in keeping teenage suicide survivors from re-attempting to end their lives.
This story discusses suicide. If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, please contact the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 or 1-800-273-TALK . A hospital in Nebraska that matches teenage suicide survivors with a 'caring contact' says the program has seen positive results in preventing young patients from taking their own lives.
On a national level, anywhere from 31% to 55% of pediatric patients who are taken to the emergency department for a suicide attempt will receive some sort of follow-up within 30 days. 'One hundred percent of patients enrolled in Caring Contacts are receiving follow-up,' noted Schalley. 'The program normalizes the struggles and challenges of mental health and stresses the importance of ongoing treatment.
Eva Doescher, a licensed clinical social worker in Nebraska, shared similar feedback on her past Caring Contacts experiences. 'Caring Contacts gives me a chance to slow down and learn from the powerful, short moments that I get to connect with patients and their families,' she told Fox News Digital. 'I feel that it helps families know we truly do care about them when we’re assessing them – not just because it’s our job, but because we really want them to be safe.
Schalley suspects that the 'intentionality' and deliberately low-tech communication between social workers and teens is another reason the program has worked so well. 'It recognizes the impact of a child or adolescent telling their story to a stranger in an emergency room during a time of crisis,' she said. 'Before, it was unlikely that the patient would hear from that social worker again.
Imagine the power of having a card to reread … telling you that you are worthy from someone you met once,' she said. 'That’s life-changing.' Schalley added, 'In our high-tech world, written words from a caring adult stand out and make a difference.' For more Health articles, visit www.foxnews.com/health.
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