Hospitals across Michigan and the United States are making a new effort to screen patients for suicide risk. Here in southwest Michigan, Corewell Health has been doing that for years. Corewell Niles Emergency Department Nurse Manager Camille Stacey tells us Corewell doctors in the ER and in regular offices make it a point to ask patients questions based on the Columbia Suicide Scale.
“You just start with straight asking people, ‘In the last 30 days, have you had any thoughts of harming yourself,’ and if they say yes, then you get more in depth questions,” Stacey said. “Have you thought about acting on those thoughts? Have you made a plan to hurt yourself?”
Stacey says depending on the patient’s answers, the level of concern can rise. If a patient is thought to be in danger, Corewell will connect them with help, possibly asking that they not leave the hospital until that happens. Stacey says suicidal thoughts are common and people often don’t know how to respond.
“I think people are looking for a judgement free ear to disclose this information if they’re struggling with these thoughts.”
Research shows around half of those who commit suicide had interacted with the healthcare system in the month before their death. A team of Michigan Hospitals has formed an initiative called MI Mind to coordinate how they screen patients for suicide risk. While Corewell isn’t part of that group, Stacey says the system has always taken suicide screenings seriously, and she’s glad others are doing so.
