About Us

The Collaborative is a county partner of the Colorado-National Collaborative (CNC). The CNC is a partnership between local, state and national scientists and public health professionals, health and social service agencies, nonprofit organizations, government agencies, businesses, academic organizations, and Colorado residents.

The Collaborative uses the Collective Impact to focus on reducing suicides in El Paso County by 20% by 2024. Collective Impact is the commitment of a group of organizations from different sectors to a common agenda for solving a specific complex problem such as suicide prevention. The Collaborative focuses on collective goals, strategic partnerships, collective and independent action aligned with those goals, shared accountability and a backbone organization to coordinate the efforts. Community Health Partnership (CHP) is the backbone organization.

The Steering Committee of The Collaborative include chairs of the different work groups and a cross section of leaders from different organizations.

You can view the Suicide Prevention Collaborative’s Year 3 Action Plan here: CDPHE Year 3 Action Plan

The Collaborative Steering Committee

Andrew Cooper
Co-Chair
Pronouns: He/Him/His
Colorado Springs Fire Department
Website

Cass Walton
Co-Chair
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
Pikes Peak Suicide Prevention Partnership
Website

Z. Benek Altayli, Psy.D
University of Colorado-Colorado Springs
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
Website

Mary Ellen Benson
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
Diversus Health
Website

Carey Boelter, MA, LPC
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
El Paso County Sheriff’s Office
Website

Emily Brady
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
National Alliance on Mental Health Services, Colorado Springs
Website

Charlene Coffin, LPC
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
Penrose-St. Francis Health Services, Centura Health
Website

Eric Frederic
Pronouns: He/Him/His
Colorado Springs Police Department
Website

Eric Gibbs
Pronouns: He/Him/His
Peak View Behavioral Health
Website

Meghan Haynes
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
El Paso County Health
Website

Kelsey Leva
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
El Paso County Health
Website

Heather Pelser
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
Health Solutions
Website

Jessie Pocock
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
Inside Out Youth Services
Website

Alissa Smith
Pronouns: They/Them or She/Her
Inside Out Youth Services
Website

John Spears
Pronouns: He/Him/His
Pikes Peak Library District
Website

Ann Rush, PhD
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
Status Code 4 Inc.
Website

Erik Wallace, MD
Pronouns: He/Him/His
University of Colorado School of Medicine
Website

Andrea Wood, MA, LPC
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
UC Health
Website

Equity and Suicide Prevention
“Centering equity is crucial to addressing disparities and reducing suicidal despair, attempts, and fatalities. The Colorado Office of Suicide Prevention recognizes that different people and communities experience these things differently and therefore have different needs. In the effort of pursuing equity, the OSP has identified priority populations within suicide prevention efforts that can be more vulnerable to experiences with suicide:

  • Black, Indigenous, and Youth of Color
  • Veterans
  • Older Adults
  • People with Disabilities
  • LBTQIA2+ populations

To learn more about these priority populations and the importance of equity and suicide prevention here: Equity and Suicide Prevention.

To learn more information or how to join the Suicide Prevention Collaborative of El Paso County, you can contact Nicole Johnston (she/her), Project Manager of the Collaborative, at nicole.johnston@ppchp.org.

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