LifeSpan launch: Newcastle named as first trial site

Today, Newcastle was named as one of four trial sites for Australia’s largest integrated suicide prevention program roll-out in NSW.

LifeSpan, an evidence-based 'systems approach' to suicide prevention, was officially launched at Parliament House NSW this morning and involves the simultaneous implementation of nine strategies to reduce suicide.

It was developed by researchers at Black Dog Institute and the NHMRC Centre for Research Excellence in Suicide Prevention (CRESP) in partnership with researchers, clinicians, community organisations, Indigenous health groups and people with lived experience of suicide and mental illness.

The LifeSpan Newcastle pilot is being led by an alliance of agencies working together locally to prevent suicide, with the contract held by the Hunter New England Local Health District.

Newcastle will be the first of four trial sites in NSW, with planning to commence in October 2016.

Everymind Director, Jaelea Skehan says the LifeSpan trial is a great opportunity for the Newcastle community and our local services and networks are well placed to deliver a successful trial.

“Everyone has a role to play in suicide prevention, but action is most effective when it is planned and coordinated with a focus on the needs of the local community and drawing on the collective strengths of local agencies.

“The LifeSpan trial will build on work already occurring in Newcastle through the Hunter Suicide Prevention Collaborative, a group of local organisations led by Everymind, which has been working together behind the scenes for the past three years,” said Jaelea.

More information about LifeSpan, including details of the nine strategies and the four trial locations, can be found here.