Rotterdam 2018

We’re very excited to partner with Dr. Jan Mokkenstorm and 113 Suicide Prevention on this 4^th Zero Suicide International summit in Rotterdam (izss2018.com.)

While we originally talked about Amsterdam as the location, our premier sponsor Deloitte has persuaded us to move just south to the city the BBC has called the Dubai of Europe. It’s hard to imagine, but we anticipate our view from the 44^th floor of the tower they call the Maastoren will rival that of Sydney Harbor from our last gathering in early 2017.

Together, we developed the International Declaration for Better Healthcare in 2015, inspired and led by Professor Jo Smith’s pioneering work in early intervention services for first break psychosis. And, last year, Suicide Prevention Australia’s Sue Murray inspired us to bring a laser focus to translating that vision into a Framework for Local Action. Dr. Mokkenstorm has continued the thread with his passion that we must now “move beyond the tipping point,” our unifying theme for the interactive program his team describes below.

Jan was part of the inaugural Zero Suicide International meeting when Jerry Reed and I convened a small group to join Dr. Keith Hawton’s IIMHL match in Oxford in 2014, and his messaging from that small start continues to anchor our efforts: that not one in our care should die alone and in despair. If you don’t already know 113 Suicide Prevention or the Netherlands’ largest community mental health provider GGZinGeest, I hope you’ll join us at the American Association of Suicidology conference in Washington, DC April 18 – 21, where Dr. Mokkenstorm will be one of our featured TED-style Talk speakers. Also, please check out his article in SLTBJ, “Is It Rational to Pursue Zero Suicides Among Patients in Health Care?”

You’ll find much more information on the terrific event website that the 113 Suicide Prevention team has put together. Please note that as mentioned below this is an invitation only event and we fully expect it to “sell out” as it has the past two times in Atlanta and Sydney. We’ve outreached experts from more than 30 countries and we are restricting the number of spots from the United States to ensure a strong diversity. Also, for those of you who have participated previously, please note that there will be an event ticket price in 2018 for the first time. And, we’ve formalized the process in registration to request a scholarship, e.g., waiver of the entry fee, travel support, etc.

Also on the event website, we feature our sponsors that power these Zero Suicide International summits and assure we are able to bring individuals from around the globe. In addition to our premier sponsor Deloitte, EDC, Inc., the Zero Suicide Institute, the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, Living Works Education, the National Council for Behavioral Health, CARF and Centerstone are again providing tremendous leadership and financial support. For the third consecutive event, the Ripple Effect Film and Kevin and Margaret Hines will sponsor our Monday dinner. And, we are again partnering with Fran Silvestri and the International Initiative for Mental Health Leadership (IIMHL) which has been vital to our success. Thanks to all of our sponsors for their support, and we hope to see you in Rotterdam in September!