"We Can Save Lives": Harnessing quality improvement and implementation science to support the implementation of suicide prevention practices in juvenile detention with guest Dr. Brittany Rudd

Dr. Brittany Rudd of the University of Illinois at Chicago joins the podcast to share the findings from her recent paper “Harnessing quality improvement and implementation science to support the implementation of suicide prevention practices in juvenile detention.” We discuss the alarming increase in suicidal behaviors in youth and the important role that juvenile justice professionals can play in suicide prevention.

Paper Abstract: Suicide is the second leading cause of death among 10- to 25-year-olds, and suicidal behavior is four times more likely among youth who enter juvenile justice settings. The current quality improvement work aimed to improve the use of suicide prevention practices in a behavioral health unit within a juvenile detention center and was informed by the Plan-Do-Study-Act method and the Exploration, Preparation, Implementation, and Sustainment model of evidence-based practice implementation. Aligned with guidelines for suicide prevention in juvenile detention, the quality improvement work resulted in the implementation of universal screening and assessment of behavioral health concerns and the Stanley and Brown Safety Planning Intervention. We review the quality improvement process, provide an overview of the final clinical model, including methods for tailoring and sustainably implementing the Safety Planning Intervention within juvenile detention, and end with a case example and future directions to expand the impact of this work.

Rudd, B. N., George, J. M., Snyder, S. E., Whyte, M., Cliggitt, L., Weyler, R., & Brown, G. (2022). Harnessing quality improvement and implementation science to support the implementation of suicide prevention practices in juvenile detention. Psychotherapy, 59(2), 150–156. https://doi.org/10.1037/pst0000377

Dr. Brittany Rudd is an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, Psychology, and Law at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Dr. Rudd completed her doctoral training in clinical science at Indiana University, pre-doctoral clinical internship at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, and her postdoctoral training in Implementation Science at the University of Pennsylvania. The central theme of her program of research is accelerating research-to-practice implementation in settings that support young people who are marginalized due to race, socioeconomic status, and other factors. She is especially focused on efforts to transform the current legal system into one that centers wellness and enacts equitable justice. Since 2013, she has been continuously funded by the Indiana Supreme Court to engage in research that supports the mental health of families in civil family law cases. This includes developing, evaluating, and implementing digital mental health tools to promote wellness among family members accessing family law services. She is currently funded by the Indiana Supreme Court to develop and evaluate a model of family law navigation that connects family law litigants to needed mental health, legal, and social services. Dr. Rudd’s NIMH career award builds upon a 5-year partnership with juvenile legal stakeholders across the nation who are concerned about the rising rate of suicide among Black youth. Over the next 5 years, Dr. Rudd will work with an advisory board of Black, formerly-detained young people and juvenile legal stakeholders from the National Partnership for Juvenile Services to build a Zero Suicide Model for juvenile detention that centers the needs and voices of Black young people.