Asking the Tough Question: Suicide Intervention Strategies in Athletic Training

Abstract:
The purpose of this presentation is to provide Suicide Intervention training to Athletic Trainers. This training provides attendees the opportunity to broaden their skills in caring for patients in times of crisis. The course develops awareness of contemporary statistics addressing suicide in multiple settings, discusses best practices to eliminate stigma affecting help seeking behaviors, elaborates on best practices for suicide intervention, and discusses how to conduct a warm hand-off of a patient in crisis to an appropriate provider. This presentation will better prepare participants for managing patients in crisis that are at risk of suicide.

Objectives:

  • Attendees will be able to describe the frequency of suicide rates per 100,000 deaths globally, regionally, within the United States, and in both the military and athletics settings., 
  • Attendees will be able to explain the gap in Athletic Training knowledge of Suicide Intervention while referencing the specific competencies addressing psychosocial strategies and referral., 
  • Attendees will be able to implement strategies to create a culture of care within their setting and thusly enable help seeking behaviors from their patients., 
  • Attendees will be able to conduct a suicide intervention once they identify a patient in crisis.

Level:
Essential

Domains:
Domain 3: Critical Incident Management

CEUs:
1.0 Category A

Keywords: mental health, suicide, intervention, care, crisis,

Jeremy Howard, EdD, LAT, ATC, RSCC, CSCS

Army National Guard

Dr. Jeremy Howard joined the Florida Army National Guard in 2002 and is a veteran of Afghanistan (2009-2010) and served in Syria, Iraq, and Saudi Arabia during 2021. He currently serves as the State’s Holistic Health & Fitness (H2F) Program’s Integrator and Chief of Training. He earned his Bachelors of Science in Athletic Training from Florida Gulf Coast University, and both a Masters of Health Science in Athletic Training and Educational Doctorate from the University of Saint Augustine for Health Sciences. 

While he has worked in more traditional settings such as Collegiate Sports Medicine and Clinical work for Chiropractor, he has run State-level programs in health and wellness for the FLARNG since 2018. His military skillset is quite different than his civilian healthcare career. He is a Chief Warrant Officer 3 (CW3) holding the Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) of 140A Air & Missile Defense Systems Integrator and graduate of the highly competitive Joint Interface Control Officer (JICO) course, where he manages tactical data links (TDLs) and secure internet protocol operations to ensure exchange of tactical data across a theater of operations. 

During his last deployment in Iraq and Syria, he managed the exchange of Air Picture and tactical data for Central and North Iraq, as well as Eastern Syria, directly resulting in successful engagements during an enemy drone attack. His diligence and efforts in that deployment earned him a Bronze Star and selection as the 2021 Fires Center of Excellence Sage Award and the 2021 Missile Defense Advocacy Alliance’s U.S. Missile Defender of the Year award. 

Aside from the 40+ healthcare credentials he holds, he is also credentialed through CompTIA in A Plus, Network Plus, Security Plus, Information Technologies Operations Specialist, and Secure Infrastructure Specialist. Jeremy is currently serving as a volunteer leader on the NATA’s Armed Forces COPA Committee, NSCA’s Tactical Strength & Conditioning Special Interest Group, and the Florida State’s NSCA committee as the Tactical Representative. Jeremy has published two research papers and previously contributed to the NATA’s Blog and On-Demand Trainings.

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