Bizzell Group: Addressing Suicide Prevention

The Bizzell Group (Bizzell) continues to demonstrate a strong commitment to advancing and assisting in substantive public discourse around suicide and suicide prevention. Through various contracts, Bizzell works with organizations, Federal clients, non-profits and partners to make an impact with the hope of reducing suicide rates across the country. Some of Bizzell’s work in the area of suicide prevention includes: American Indian and Alaskan Native suicide, military suicide and Arctic region suicide.

The American Indian/Alaskan Native communities have strikingly higher rates of suicides than the overall population in the U.S. The Indian Health Service identifies suicides as the second leading cause of death among AI/AN youth (5 and 24 years old). These AI/AN adolescents are also at greater risk for suicide contagion and suicide clusters, which can be particularly devastating for the often close-knit and rural AI/AN communities. Bizzell examined the research on suicide clusters and contagion in general and within AI/AN communities.

In addition to researching rates of suicide among American Indian/Alaskan Native populations, Bizzell has supported suicide prevention efforts among Veteran and Service member populations. According to a recent study by the Department of Veterans Affairs, roughly 20 veterans a day nationwide commit suicide. Researchers concluded that veterans are at a 21 percent higher risk for suicide than civilian populations. In 2014, the latest year available, more than 7,400 veterans took their own lives, accounting for 18 percent of all suicides in America. Veterans make up less than 9 percent of the U.S. population. Military suicide also has a significant impact on the family members left behind. The University of Southern California found “that military connected adolescents have a higher rate of suicidal thoughts than their civilian counterparts, and other studies indicate that military spouses— particularly those serving as caregivers to support their wounded veterans—are more at risk to suffer mental health problems.” The untold costs of military service on family members is difficult to measure. The National Military Family Association, a nonprofit that serves a quarter of a million military relatives, reported “hearing about an increasing number of stories about family members killing themselves.”

Bizzell recognizes that high suicide rates are not limited to American Indian/Alaskan Native populations or military communities; suicide rates in the Arctic are among the highest in the world. Historically, indigenous people in circumpolar regions had very low rates of death by suicide. However, there is currently no other region that suicide has had such a strong impact and social burden on than in indigenous populations—specifically those in circumpolar regions. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that suicide accounts for roughly 800,000 deaths per year worldwide—although rates differ within countries according to geography,gender, ethnicity and cultural variables. Greenland and the arctic regions of the United States, Canada and Russia have considerably higher suicide rates than the non-Arctic Regions, and where data is available by ethnicity (Alaska, Canada and Russia), the increased risk of suicide in indigenous communities is evident. Bizzell is assisting RISING SUN, an initiative under the U.S. chairmanship of the Arctic Council that is designated to identify a toolkit of common outcomes to be used in evaluating suicide prevention efforts to assess the key correlates associated with suicide prevention intervention across Arctic states. The goal is to generate shared knowledge that will aid health workers in better serving circumpolar communities, and help policymakers measure progress, evaluate interventions, and identify regional and cultural challenges to implementation.

Bizzell Partners with NCMA to Support Quest Communities Veterans Project

On April 21st, at the Crystal Lake Golf and Country Club, The Bizzell Group (Bizzell) placed 1st at the 3rd Annual National Contract Management Association (NCMA) Atlanta Golf Invitational. The golf tournament is the largest NCMA event hosted in Atlanta.

Bizzell’s Atlanta based Senior Associate, Lisa Black, serves as the Community Outreach Chair of the NCMA, Atlanta Region. As a growing business committed to deepening our impact, our community outreach work with NCMA aims to support and assist underserved communities in the Atlanta Metropolitan area.

Bizzell partnered with NCMA on this event by sponsoring one hole and providing volunteer support for the event. A portion of this year’s event proceeds will be donated to Quest Communities, Quest Vets Project — which has provided housing assistance to more than 4,000 displaced and or homeless veterans.

Bizzell is excited to have placed 1st in the tournament; but most thrilled to have a sustained partnership with NCMA to support military veterans and other underserved communities in the Atlanta metro. In the coming months, The Bizzell Group will again partner with NCMA to support the Mary Hall Freedom House – a residential treatment center for substance abuse which serves women and children.

Bizzell Awarded Three SAMHSA IDIQ Domains

The Bizzell Group  (Bizzell) is excited to continue its successful partnership with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) on the SAMHSA Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract through 2022. The firm was awarded three domains as a prime contractor on the IDIQ contract, and teamed with larger firms who were successful on additional domains. The contract is designed to assist SAMHSA in achieving its goal of reducing the impact of substance abuse and mental illness in America’s communities.

As a prime contractor, Bizzell, along with our partners, will provide assistance in three separate domains (Domain III, Domain V and Domain VI):

Domain III—Policy Analysis and Program Related Projects: Bizzell will assist with policy analysis, regulatory policy, developing programs and program support by organizing focus groups and consultations that will shed light on mental illness and substance use disorders, healthcare and behavioral health disparities as well as other health related topics.

Domain V—Technical Assistance and Training Projects: With Domain V, Bizzell will provide technical assistance and training courses for a wide range of topics including needs assessment, program planning, science-based approaches to prevention and treatment, payment and financing strategies, including managed care, disparities and culturally appropriate/responsive practice, trauma, health information technology, performance measurement, evaluation, and clinical and medical programs, practices and research.

Domain VI—Planning, Implementation and Report Support Projects: The focus of Domain VI is to plan and support multiple concurrent events and activities through the entire planning and logistical support lifecycle.

Aside from the three domains that Bizzell was awarded as a prime, the firm will also provide services to SAMHSA on two additional domains as a subcontractor to larger firms.

Domain I—Feasibility, Pilot, and Evaluation Projects: On Domain I, Bizzell employees will assist the prime contractor and SAMHSA on executing feasibility studies that will determine if an organizational activity, treatment service, strategy, survey or statistical study will work as intended. Feasibility is followed by the Pilot, which will assess whether the results of a feasibility study can be successfully scaled under a broader range of circumstances. The final portion is Evaluation, which will measure relevant aspects of program performance.

Domain IV—Communication Projects: Bizzell employees will assist with conceptualizing, planning, researching, designing, implementing and evaluating the effectiveness of communications projects that will increase awareness and educate stakeholders about SAMHSA’s mission to reduce the impact of substance abuse and mental health on America’s communities.

Bizzell Partners With CDC to Assist in Unintentional Injury Prevention Initiatives

The Bizzell Group (Bizzell) is pleased to kick off the new year with a new opportunity with the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC), National Center for Injury Prevention and Control (NCIPC), Division of Unintentional Injury Prevention (DUIP).

Unintentional injuries, such as falls, car accidents and drug overdoses, are the number three cause of deaths in the United States, and they account for one of every four people treated in an emergency department. Bizzell has an extensive portfolio of supporting injury prevention initiatives related to roadway safety and substance abuse prevention. Therefore, the firm brings a deep working knowledge and understanding to CDC’s injury prevention objectives.

Bizzell’s commitment will include scientific injury prevention consulting, assistance and support services within DUIP. This includes assisting with the preparation of reports, presentations and papers for publication in scientific journals. The firm will identify evidence-based strategies for states to use in preventing injuries, as well as work directly with CDC scientists to exchange ideas on DUIP products that are related to concussions, global traffic injury and falls prevention. Additionally, Bizzell will focus on preparing summary documents for the Office of Global Health on DUIP’s motor vehicle projects, and provide expertise on the development and evaluation of injury modules for the Field Epidemiology Training Program (FETP) in the Center for Global Health.

“Injuries and violence affect everyone, regardless of age, race or economic status. And in the first half of life, more Americans die from violence and injuries than any other cause,” stated Chad Brown, Vice President of Strategy and Business Development for Bizzell. “Bizzell is pleased to offer its expertise and support to CDC in order to collectively develop innovations and solutions as we look to promote improved health and mortality outcomes.”

Bizzell looks forward to its continued partnership with CDC.