A Cascade of Care Model for Suicide Prevention.

The rising rates of suicide in the United States, particularly among young people of color, requires urgent attention. While the healthcare system is a critical service sector for suicide prevention given high levels of utilization by people at risk of suicide, it is not sufficient. Only approximately 50% of those identified as at-risk in an Emergency Department, agree to be connected to outpatient services, with even small proportions engaging in these services. This “care cascade” parallels health services challenges in other domains, such as HIV. Corresponding Cascade of Care (COC) models have been galvanizing public health frameworks, as they can be utilized to track both patient-level outcomes and leveraged to form aspirational goals to improve systems of care for those in need. We aim to delineate a COC model specific to suicide prevention efforts, to help frame existing challenges and unify efforts to address these gaps. Given the complexity of suicidal thoughts and behaviors, solutions are needed that address care at multiple levels of the socio-ecological framework and build multisectoral networks into an integrated system of care. Defining and delineating this COC model can help structure local and national efforts to comprehensively address the suicide epidemic in the United States.