Healing Together: OYEN's Pioneering Role in Oregon's Suicide Postvention Efforts

In the past year, Melinda Avila witnessed her Woodburn, Ore., community rocked by a series of tragic events, including suicide. As a predominantly Spanish-speaking community, Avila became deeply affected when she realized that suicide was a serious health concern for Latino communities. As CEO of OYEN Emotional Wellness Center, Avila saw a critical need for Spanish language resources in postvention (support after a suicide occurs). During the same time, Lines For Life, a nonprofit dedicated to suicide prevention, recognized OYEN’s crisis services and initiated a transformative partnership that would lead to a groundbreaking initiative transforming community responses to suicide aftermath.

The Association of Oregon Community Mental Health Programs (AOCMHP) was working with a group in Tillamook County that was in need of Spanish language support for postvention training when Kris Bifulco first took notice of OYEN. Bifulco is a Postvention Coordinator at AOCMHP and a community partner for the Suicide Rapid Response (SRR) program. OYEN is a bilingual and bicultural clinic that offers an array of mental health support in Oregon and Bifulco was curious to learn about their crisis services. She contacted Avila to get more information and wanted to offer her and the entire OYEN staff Connect Postvention training.

“OYEN is being very intentional in filling in the gaps for the Latino community who need linguistically and culturally specific support during a suicide or sudden death,” says Avila. The ability to offer postvention services in Spanish meant that OYEN could offer immediate, empathetic support to grieving Latino families, ensuring that cultural and language barriers did not hinder the healing process.

The SRR program is designed to provide additional state resources to a community’s suicide loss of a youth/young adult under 24 years of age and provide work in suicide prevention and postvention. Their Connect Postvention training consisted of four modules: the first explores suicide data and its importance; the second covers grief at individual, societal, and family levels, emphasizing community-specific practices; the third focuses on best practices and their applicability to different communities, including case scenarios and long-term complications; the final module discusses postvention as prevention, addressing risk factors, warning signs, and creating postvention plans, emphasizing safe messaging about suicide. 

As OYEN was being trained, Lines For Life worked with their SRR program, which is funded by the Oregon Health Authority (OHA), to inform them of the new collaboration with OYEN and recommended them as a potential partner organization. Upon successful completion of the training, OYEN was invited to join the SRR program.

Today, OYEN can quickly mobilize to assist a community impacted by suicide and provide additional postvention support if they are reached out to by the SRR program, which undergoes a specific process. OYEN will collaborate with school administrators or city officials, and provide support services ranging from offering a listening ear to helping individuals manage their grief, understand their experiences, and take steps to cope with the aftermath. OYEN's support extends to teachers, students, and adults, ensuring comprehensive assistance for those struggling to process their loss.

Donna Libemday, Director of Prevention at Lines For Life, states “For every suicide loss, there are several people impacted in very different ways. They are often overwhelmed, struggling to process loss, and don’t have the tools or support to de-escalate the flood of emotions and uncertainty that has been created. We think about how we can help make that process easier for individuals, schools, and communities in crisis. Postvention is prevention and it reduces the risks of suicide.”

Because of OYEN’s statewide service area, it has given SRR the ability to reach more communities that need bilingual and bicultural services during the postvention response. With Lines For Life seeking diverse partners from various communities who could share the same culture and language with specific communities in dire need of support after a suicide takes place, OYEN was a perfect fit. OYEN’s part in the SRR program plays a crucial part in helping reduce barriers and fostering connections. 

Bifulco says the partnership with OYEN has given many communities hope in healing. “I am very excited to have OYEN on board,” she says. “We are always looking for more bicultural and bilingual partners. This is a great partnership and I am looking forward to the impact OYEN is going to make. It shows a lot of commitment from their end as language access has been a barrier for these communities.”

As OYEN’s work in postvention continues to evolve, its mission remains clear: to address and fill a critical gap in the state's mental health support system for the Latino community. OYEN has become a beacon of hope, demonstrating that with the right training and commitment, it is possible to make a profound difference. With their partnership with Lines For Life and OHA, OYEN is not only responding to crises but also preventing them. Their commitment to this work is a testament to the power of community and the importance of cultural competence.

For more information regarding the aftermath of a suicide, reach out to your Local County Lead. For members of the public who are struggling or in crisis, or know someone who needs support, anyone can call or text 988, the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, 24/7. Lines for Life also offers free teen-to-teen crisis support and helpline at 877-968-8491 or text “teen2teen” to 839863.

Together, we can ensure that no one faces the aftermath of suicide alone and that every community has the tools they need to heal and thrive.

About OYEN: OYEN Emotional Wellness Center is a bilingual and bicultural clinic that offers an array of mental health support for all ages. OYEN consists of a group of highly qualified English and Spanish-speaking Licensed Professionals who meet the mental health needs of our communities. For more information on OYEN, visit the website atwww.oyenwellness.com.