Ithaca Hosts State’s Suicide Prevention Conference

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New York State’s annual suicide prevention conference will take place this year in Ithaca, next week at the Ithaca Conference Center: “Rooted in Action: Innovative Approaches for Rural Suicide Prevention.”

The conference is hosted by the Office of Mental Health’s Suicide Prevention Center of New York (SPCNY) on September 29-30. Due to strong demand the conference is at capacity with hundreds of attendees and registration is closed.

Besides being the venue for the event, Ithaca features prominently in the program.

An entire panel will discuss Tompkins County’s steps toward strengthening its suicide prevention practices: “Implementing the Zero Suicide Model: the Tompkins County Experience.” Zero Suicide is a framework of systematic screening, assessment, and specialized treatment used by healthcare providers to prevent suicide deaths among their patients.

The panelists include:

Andreia deLima, Chief Medical Officer, Cayuga Health/Centralus Health

Laura Sidari, Program Director and Consulting Psychiatrist, Cayuga Integrated Behavioral Health, Cayuga Health

Tiffany Bloss, Executive Director, Suicide Prevention & Crisis Service of Tompkins County

Harmony Ayers-Friedlander, Deputy Commissioner of Mental Health Services, Tompkins County Whole Health

The panel will be moderated by SPCNY Director Jay Carruthers.

Laura Sidari will also participate in a panel called “Collaborative Care: Integrating Behavioral Health into Primary Care.” She will be joined by Amy L. Jones-Renaud, Director, Primary Care Behavioral Health Integration, Office of Mental Health.

Tiffany Bloss will also speak at a panel titled “LOSS Teams: Support for Recently Bereaved Suicide Survivors.”

The conference features 18 breakout sessions in addition to several plenary sessions. Among the topics covered are suicide prevention programming in rural schools, the role of faith leaders, firearms safety, and engaging rural veterans in mental health services.

The conference keynote address will be given by Vernon E. Davis II, an army veteran and comedian who has experienced suicidal thoughts.

DOWNLOAD Tompkins County Suicide Prevention

“Tompkins County is honored and excited to welcome colleagues from across New York State to the 2026 New York State Suicide Prevention Conference. As a rural county, we are eager to learn from one another, share innovative approaches, and build on the important work happening in communities across our state,” said Deputy Commissioner of Mental Health Services Harmony Ayers-Friedlander.

“We are proud to share the strategies we have developed locally through the Tompkins County Suicide Prevention Coalition, including our coordinated implementation of the Zero Suicide Model across the healthcare system, spanning higher education, primary care, and mental health treatment services.

“We have also made supporting first responders and creating more trauma-informed approaches to crisis response a community priority through our Crisis Alternative Response and Engagement Team, or CARE, co-response model, bringing mental health and law enforcement together, as well as the City of Ithaca’s new Responders Offering Outreach, Trust and Support, or ROOTS, unarmed responder program.

“Tompkins County is also home to a regional 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline call center at Suicide Prevention & Crisis Services, providing a range of support through its hotline, warm line, and text services.

“Together, these efforts reflect what is possible when a community comes together with compassion, collaboration, and a shared commitment to saving lives. We have made meaningful progress, and there is still more work ahead.”

Cayuga Health: Advancing Suicide Prevention

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Centralus Health is recognizing September as National Suicide Prevention Month, joining organizations and communities across the country in raising awareness, reducing stigma, and encouraging meaningful conversations about mental health and suicide prevention.

Throughout the month, team members are helping bring greater visibility to suicide prevention and the importance of connection. During Suicide Prevention Week, staff across the health system hosted resource tables and shared mental health and suicide prevention resources with patients, visitors, and colleagues.

Centralus Health is a collaborative network uniting Cayuga Health in Ithaca and Arnot Health in Elmira. As part of its focus on strengthening suicide prevention in clinical care, Centralus Health welcomed Dr. Virna Little, a nationally recognized leader in suicide prevention, on September 11 for a Grand Rounds presentation, “Optimizing Suicide Care.”

The presentation focused on evidence-based approaches to suicide risk screening and assessment, strategies for integrating suicide care into clinical workflows, and best practices for improving continuity and follow-up for individuals at risk for suicide.

Our health system has endorsed the Zero Suicide Model, a framework that recognizes suicide prevention as a core responsibility of healthcare. Through this commitment, the health system continues to foster an environment where suicide risk is recognized, concerns are taken seriously and individuals experiencing a mental health crisis receive compassionate, coordinated care.

We have made systemic improvements in suicide care since 2018. We formed a system-wide Zero Suicide Implementation Team, sub-teams for component units, and conducted a Zero Suicide Self-Study and a Workforce Survey. We have implemented core Zero Suicide practices within the Emergency Department, inpatient Behavioral Health Unit, and the Cayuga Integrated Behavioral Health (CIBH) program which embeds behavioral health clinicians within primary care practices.

New York State’s Office of Mental Health recognized our efforts for systemic improvement with a Spotlight Story in “1,700 Too Many: New York State’s Strategy for Suicide Prevention 2026-2030,” announced on September 10 by Governor Kathy Hochul.

Centralus Health is also supporting suicide prevention efforts in the communities it serves, including the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention’s Out of the Darkness Greater Ithaca Walk. The September 12 event in Lansing’s Myers Park brought community members together to raise awareness, honor those affected by suicide and support suicide prevention research, education, and advocacy.

National Suicide Prevention Month is an important reminder that suicide prevention is a shared responsibility. Through education, awareness, compassionate care and community partnership, Centralus Health remains committed to helping create communities where people feel seen, supported and connected to help when they need it.

—By Andreia de Lima, MD

Andreia de Lima is Chief Medical Officer and Vice President of Medical Affairs at Centralus Health’s Cayuga Medical Center and Schuyler Hospital

If you or someone you know feels the need to speak with a mental health professional, you can call or text the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 9-8-8, or contact the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741-741.

Supporting Mental Health in Tompkins Schools

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Five Ithaca-based mental health organizations have released the 2026-27 edition of their resource guide, “Mental Health Support & Suicide Prevention for Schools in Tompkins County.”

National and local surveys document the seriousness of a mental health crisis affecting young people. In a survey from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 40 percent of high schoolers said they experienced persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness. Twenty-nine percent reported poor mental health, and 20 percent said they had considered taking their own lives.

A survey of high school and middle school students in Tompkins County showed similar patterns although lower than the national data. Forty-four percent said they felt anxious or worried on most days, 32 percent felt sad or depressed on most days, 28 percent said that “sometimes I think life is not worth it,” and 11 percent reported thoughts of suicide.

DOWNLOAD: Mental Health Support & Suicide Prevention for Schools in Tompkins County

To support Tompkins County schools, the resources guide was first launched in 2024 by the Suicide Prevention & Crisis Service, American Foundation for Suicide Prevention Greater Central New York, National Alliance on Mental Illness Finger Lakes, Mental Health Association in Tompkins County, and The Sophie Fund.

“Statistically, mental health education in schools is one of the most important initiatives, based on suicide rates and other youth mental health statistics,” said Sandra Sorensen, executive director of NAMI Finger Lakes. “Creating, finding, and presenting curriculum can add an extra burden to educators.”

“This booklet outlines the free programs and services available to students, parents, and teachers offered by local mental health nonprofit organizations. Participants also benefit from learning about external, local resources and community connections. This creates a broader, more diverse, supportive network,” Sorensen added. 

If you have a comment, concern, or suggestion about mental health in Tompkins schools, please feel free to email it to The Sophie Fund: thesophiefund2016@gmail.com.

After a brief “Mental Health & Suicide 101” introduction, the guide details the mental health and suicide prevention education and training that the organizations are ready to present to Tompkins school administrators, teachers, students, and parents.

The guide compiles handbooks and toolkits to assist Tompkins schools in developing mental health promotion and bullying prevention programming as well as suicide prevention strategies in their school communities. The guide points to recommendations for youth use of social media issued by the U.S. Surgeon General and the American Psychological Association.

DOWNLOAD: 5 Simple Steps

The guide also includes 5 Simple Steps, a downloadable “safety plan” young people (or adults) can consult if they are feeling overwhelmed with a deteriorating mood.

The five organizations requested an opportunity to meet directly with the seven Tompkins County school superintendents and their leadership teams to provide a presentation on the support services available and respond to any concerns or questions they may have. The organizations have met with the Ithaca, Trumansburg, and Lansing districts, but Groton, Dryden, and Newfield have not yet scheduled a meeting.

Administrators, teachers, families: REQUEST A FREE TRAINING for assemblies, classes, or parent meetings

When You Reeaally Don’t Feel Like Cooking

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Mental health challenges can sometimes make performing daily activities incredibly difficult for college students. Cooking and eating a meal can feel like an impossible task if you are having trouble getting out of bed.

While studying for my Masters in Public Health at Cornell University, I wanted to create something that would bridge mental health and physical health. I chose to create a cookbook that combines easy-to-make, healthy recipes with mental health tips and encouragement. The result is Recipes to Make When You Reeaally Don’t Feel Like Cooking, which I produced for The Sophie Fund.

DOWNLOAD Recipes to Make When You Reeaally Don’t Feel Like Cooking

Filled with nutritious, heart-warming recipes submitted by fellow Cornell students, the cookbook is designed to support students in preparing and eating healthy meals during periods of depression, anxiety, or other mental health conditions. (Of course, the recipes are good for all students regardless of the current state of their mental health!)

Recipes to Make was made possible with the help of all the Cornell students who kindly shared their recipes and the incredible support from mentors who guided me along the way. I’m deeply grateful for everyone’s willingness to participate in this project, whether it be through a recipe submission or a piece of advice.

I would love to see my Cornell peers engage with the cookbook by trying out the recipes, sharing their own favorite recipes with friends, or even submitting a recipe themselves for future editions! I hope that when Cornell students use this cookbook, they remember that they are not alone in their experience and that they think of each recipe as a sign of support from a fellow student. 

—By Emily Lui

Emily Lui is a 2026 graduate of Cornell Public Health’s Master of Public Health program.

Preventing Suicides in Tompkins County

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To mark National Suicide Prevention Month in September, The Sophie Fund is publishing a booklet highlighting the considerable efforts taken to save lives in Tompkins County over the past decade.

Healthcare leaders speaking at a suicide prevention town hall, 2023

Leaders from healthcare, behavioral health, government agencies, and concerned nonprofits have come together to upgrade suicide prevention practices, train practitioners, and educate the public about suicide risk factors and warning signs. It is a sustained, community-wide mission.

The booklet will be distributed at “Rooted in Action: Innovative Approaches for Rural Suicide Prevention,” the annual New York State Suicide Prevention Conference being held this year in Ithaca on September 29-30.

If you or someone you know feels the need to speak with a mental health professional, you can call or text the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 9-8-8, or contact the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741-741.

Among the steps taken in Tompkins County:

—In the 2017 Watershed Declaration, healthcare leaders pledged to “intensify efforts toward saving lives and bringing hope to those struggling with suicide thoughts or affected by suicide loss.”

—Stakeholders formed the Tompkins County Suicide Prevention Coalition in 2018, adopting a strategic plan guided by a vision “for a community where no lives are lost to suicide” and using data, science, and collaborations to implement effective strategies.

Formation of the Tompkins County Suicide Prevention Coalition, 2017

—The Coalition hosted two community town halls, “How Healthcare Helps Prevent Suicides,” and “Youth Mental Health & Wellness.”

—The Coalition launched the “Tompkins County Suicide Care Pathway Initiative” in 2025, bringing together hospitals, campus health centers, behavioral health clinics, and crisis responders to map and improve support and continuity of care across health sectors.

—Community nonprofits created the annual “Mental Health Support and Suicide Prevention for Schools in Tompkins County,” a booklet of information and resources, and distributed more than 200 copies to school personnel.

—The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention Central New York chapter organized annual “Out of the Darkness” walks in the community and on the campus of Cornell University.

“Out of the Darkness” Walk at Cornell University, 2024

—AFSP, NAMI Finger Lakes, Mental Health Association, Suicide Prevention and Crisis Service, and The Sophie Fund provided a robust array of suicide and mental health care trainings and support services including help hotlines.

—The Coalition launched an initiative to promote the Zero Suicide Model in the community’s healthcare systems; and top healthcare leaders formed the Tompkins County Zero Suicide Steering Committee in to implement the model within and across healthcare systems.

Launch of the Tompkins County Zero Suicide Steering Committee, 2022

—Cayuga Health and Tompkins County Whole Health embarked on Zero Suicide implementation plans.

—The Suicide Prevention & Crisis Service expanded its 988 call center staff from five to 42, expanded its coverage area to a total of 17 counties, and added call lines for LGBTQ+ and non-crisis emotional support.

DOWNLOAD Tompkins County Suicide Prevention

Scott MacLeod, co-founder of The Sophie Fund, said that his organization was grateful for Tompkins County’s advances in suicide prevention, but added that there was no room for complacency.

“People of all ages, including students on local college campuses, are dying by suicide in Tompkins County,” he said. “Nationwide, suicide remains the second leading cause of death among people aged 10-24.” He noted that the Coalition’s Suicide Care Pathway Initiative in 2025 showed numerous gaps in local suicide care, a need for more training in suicide prevention treatment protocols, and greater fidelity in the use of those protocols.

“We need continuous efforts to educate ourselves about risk factors and warning signs, to encourage people who are struggling to seek help, and to see suicide prevention best practices implemented by all providers. National Suicide Prevention Month is a call to action to step up the mission,” he added.

The Sophie Fund is a nonprofit organization advocating for improved mental health in Tompkins County. It was formed in 2016 in memory of Sophie Hack MacLeod, a Cornell University student who died by suicide that year.

If you or someone you know feels the need to speak with a mental health professional, you can call or text the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 9-8-8, or contact the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741-741.