Officials at Henry Ford Health have concluded in a new study that health systems around the country can reduce the suicide rate among their patients by 25% through screening, safety planning, and mental health counseling.
The system, called the Zero Suicide Model, was developed in 2001 by doctors at Henry Ford Health, including Dr. Brian Ahmedani. He says it provides a blueprint for other healthcare systems to follow.
“Healthcare systems now have a tool to be able to do this work, and so we are very thankful for all the people who did a ton of work around the country to make this possible,” Ahmedani said. “We really look forward to pushing this out so we can save people’s lives and to work together with our communities and our healthcare systems to pursue a world where we don’t have suicide.”
The results of the 25-year study was published this week in JAMA Network Open, which is put out by the American Medical Association.
