Multi-Agency Approach to Suicide Prevention: An Analysis of the Tompkins County Suicide Prevention Framework : An Analysis of the Tompkins County Suicide Prevention Framework

The COVID 19 health pandemic resulted in lasting negativeeconomic and social effects on communities globally and withinthe United States. The ripple effects of a traumatic social crisis ofthis magnitude are undeniable and visible in our day to day liveswithin our local communities. As policy makers within the UnitedStates scramble to pick up the pieces on the economic front; thepsychological effects of this crisis tend to be overlooked by federaland state governments. The World Health Organization reported anincrease of 25% in prevalence of anxiety and depression worldwidewithin the first year of the COVID 19 crisis. Existing healthcarestructures are overwhelmed by a surge in mental health cases, andgovernments are forced to reconsider their strategies for mentalhealth services. This case study evaluates the efficacy of the existingTompkins County Mental Health strategies with a focus on suicideprevention frameworks and methodologies. A systems thinkingapproach is used to expand our lens on this complex system.