Metro Area LOSS Team Update, August 2017

On July 1^st, The Metro Area LOSS Team established a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Sarpy County Sherriff’s office. This MOU will make a notification call to the LOSS Team as part of Sarpy County Sheriff’s standard operating procedure following a suicide death. After receiving a notification from Sarpy County Dispatch, the LOSS Team will develop an on-call team and respond to the scene within one hour. The team will consist of one clinician and one to two suicide survivors. While on the scene, our team will be able to provide immediate support and resources to the newly bereaved, as well as help answer any questions they may have about what they may expect in the next few hours, days, and months.

We will continue to work with the Omaha Police Department and the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office using a delayed response model. Once we receive a notification from either of these agencies, we will reach out to the family within 24 hours, unless we are requested to contact them immediately. Once we reach these families over the phone, we will set up a call-out to meet with them face to face. If a family does not want a call-out, we will always provide them with a folder of resources. All of these families are welcome to reach out to us anytime and can always schedule a call-out no matter how long it’s been since their loved one’s death. If you know of someone who did not receive a call from the LOSS Team but may benefit from one, you may refer them to the team by contacting The Kim Foundation at (402)891-6911.

As our services grow, so do our team needs. We currently have 20 active LOSS Team members, but we will continue to need more survivors and clinicians in order to be able to adequately cover our community’s needs. After two years of service as Co-Clinical Directors, Ciara Warden and Mary Kate Hoffmann, have both stepped down from their clinical duties in order to focus on their growing careers and families. They have both been with the Metro Area LOSS Team from the very early stages of our beginning and have helped get us to where we are today. On behalf of The Kim Foundation, Region 6, and the team, we want to thank you for all of your time, dedication, and passion that you have contributed to the group over the past two years. THANK YOU!

We were excited to welcome Carole Bakke as one of our new Clinical Directors in July. Carole has vast experience in crisis response and has brought fresh insight and a new energy to the team. We are so lucky to have her! We are currently looking for a second Clinical Director who will share the Director responsibilities. Some of these responsibilities include interviewing new team members, debriefing on-call team members after a call-out, overseeing the ongoing emotional wellness of the team, and providing trainings. If you or someone you know is a mental health professional looking for a significant and meaningful volunteer opportunity, please contact me at (402)891-6998 or via email at jhamilton@thekimfoundation.org.

Our 24/7 LOSS phone is to be used only by sheriffs, chaplains, and any other first responders responding to a suicide call. It is not a suicide prevention hotline. If you or someone you know is having suicidal thoughts, please call 1(800)273-TALK (8255) or if it is an emergency, 911. If you or someone you know has recently lost someone to suicide and would like to schedule a meeting with the on-call LOSS team, please contact The Kim Foundation at (402)891-6911.

Jill Hamilton, Project Coordinator, The Kim Foundation

Jill Hamilton has been the Project Coordinator at The Kim Foundation since 2014. She graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism and a Speech Communication Minor from The University of Nebraska at Omaha in 2009. Since working at the foundation, she has become an active member of the Nebraska State Suicide Prevention Coalition and The Metro Area Suicide Prevention Coalition, Nebraska LOSS Advisory Committee, The Early Childhood Mental Health Coalition, is Chair of the Nebraska LOSS Teams Conference Planning Committee, and serves as the Outreach Coordinator for the Metro Area LOSS Team.