Who Are We
Kansans United to Prevent Suicide
The Kansas Suicide Prevention Coalition champions suicide prevention for all Kansans through equitable access to partnerships, advocacy, resources, ideas and data.
It has been incredible to see the efforts of so many Kansans come to fruition in the creation of the first Kansas Suicide Prevention Coalition. Through concerted efforts in recruiting and engaging diverse individuals and sectors in our state, we have brought together individuals and organizations from all areas of Kansas who are invested in suicide prevention and united in its charge to ensure equitable access to partnerships, advocacy, resources, ideas and data. The Coalition recognizes the incredible work of survivors and champions that has made this possible and hopes to elevate the efforts of advocates around the state to ensure all Kansans have access to responsive and supportive suicide care.
-Bailey Blair, KSPC President
Announcements
Events Calendar
Join a Subcommittee
It is not necessary to be a member of the KSPC to join a subcommittee!
We currently have 4 subcommittees each centering a different focus of the Coalition: Community Engagement, Resource Development, SRE (Surveillance, Research, & Evaluation), and Systems of Care.
Each workgroup is being led through a lens of diversity, equity, inclusion, justice and belonging.
Community Engagement
Engaging partners, communities, and coalitions across the state in meaningful conversation to learn about current needs, ideas, and work in progress.
Determining methods by which the coalition may support and amplify specific community resources or goals.
Resource Development
Recruiting members that represent not only current work in Kansas but also historically underrepresented populations.
Engaging lobbyists and legislative partners regarding priorities set forth in the State Suicide Prevention Plan and by the Kansas Suicide Prevention Coalition.
Ensuring accessibility of funding and resources for those activities aligned with stated priorities.
SRE (Surveillance, Research, & Evaluation)
Identifying and evaluating sources of data regarding suicide prevention, intervention and postvention.
Assimilating best practices in suicide prevention and educating committee members on their usage.
Aggregating and evaluating data regarding use of best practices in Kansas.
Systems of Care
Identifying and promoting best practices in treatment and intervention for persons in need of suicide care.
Ensuring availability of training and resources for clinicians surrounding suicide prevention and intervention.
Development of resources regarding clinical work with populations of particular interest in suicide prevention and care.
Identifying and promoting best practices for postvention support of survivors of suicide attempts and suicide loss.
Bailey Blair
President
A micro and macro-level social work practitioner with +10 years of experience in a variety of roles in the behavioral health system and in the suicide prevention arena. As the Clinical Liaison for the Mental Health Association of South Central Kansas, Bailey provides coordination and clinical support for consumers entering mental health services from inpatient psychiatric care, correctional facilities, homeless shelters and other community providers. She also identifies as a person with lived experience and serves as Lead Trainer for the Kansas Certified Peer Specialist Training program. Bailey also serves on the Sedgwick County Suicide Prevention Coalition, and is a member of the Kansas Governor's Behavioral Health Services Planning Council Prevention Subcommittee and the State Suicide Prevention Plan Workgroup. Bailey is also the Vice-President and Lead Trainer for StopSuicideICT.
Aonya Kendrick Barnett
Vice President
The Program Director for Safe Streets Wichita - a community-based substance use prevention coalition sponsored by Partners For Wichita. Working at the intersections of harm reduction, public health, human rights and social justice, Safe Streets coalition engages multiple sectors of the community to promote awareness and produce solutions to mitigate harms associated with substance misuse. Communities across the city are responding to the overdose crisis with civic engagement and action; highlighting the need for expanding insurance coverage, honoring culturally-relevant interventions, reducing stigma, and offering structural support such as stable housing, employment, and childcare. Our coalition’s health and social prevention efforts are aligned with implementing upstream strategies that aim to prevent adverse childhood experiences and reduce criminalization of substance use disorders, producing safer and healthier communities. Find out how to support our prevention efforts by visiting https://www.partnersforwichita.org/safe-streets
Alexis McMillan
Secretary
Currently serves as an Outpatient Therapist with Southeast Kansas Mental Health Center. Alexis has a background in clinical and school psychology, as well as leadership in K-12 buildings with a combined 15 years experience in mental health and education. Alexis is passionate about suicide prevention and trauma-informed care. She lives in Southeast Kansas with her husband and three children.
Melissa Patrick
Treasurer
A Kansas native, born in Wichita and now living in Kiowa. She is a daughter, an aunt, a friend, a partner, and a furbaby mom to her two dogs (Hank and Cash) and cat (Sniffles). Currently serving as Co-Director for the Kansas Consumer Advisory Council for Adult Mental Health (CAC), Melissa brings her lived experience as a trauma and suicide attempt survivor, and someone who has had interactions with the mental health system through diagnosis/treatment from a young age. Outside of her work with CAC and other stakeholder groups in Kansas, Melissa is also active in social media based mental health support communities where she has the opportunity to connect with people across the world. In her free time Melissa enjoys building her collection of memes, listening to music, and taking on new do-it-yourself home improvement projects.
Sarah Gideon
Member-at-Large, MBA
Serves as the Executive Director for the Health Innovations Network of Kansas (HINK). HINK is a consortium of 15 hospitals in northeast Kansas focused on networking and education for its members. Sarah also supports the HINK Suicide Prevention Improvement Network which is focused on behavioral health access and suicide prevention in rural/agricultural communities within the HINK region.
Elaine Johannes
Member-at-Large
The Kansas Health Foundation Distinguished Professor in Community Health for K-State Research and Extension and is a state Extension Specialist in the Department of Applied Human Sciences, College of Health and Human Sciences at Kansas State University. Dr. Johannes has degrees from Kansas State University in Psychology, masters in Adult and Community Counseling, a graduate certificate in Gerontology, and a doctorate in Lifespan Human Development. She has extensive experience in working with communities to address health disparities, unequal access to health care, and the social drivers and conditions that impact people’s health and well-being. Elaine is also a member of the Kansas Maternal and Child Health Council executive committee for the Bureau of Family Health in KDHE,and is a Governor’s appointee to the Kansas Dept.of Corrections Kansas Advisory Group for Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.
Dr. Jessica Provines
Member-at-Large
Serves as the Assistant Vice President for Wellness and Chief Psychologist at Wichita State University. Motivated by her personal experience with mental health challenges and suicide loss, she spent many years as a DBT trained, university mental health provider before stepping into broader Student Affairs administration. As a community/clinical psychologist, Dr. Provines established Prevention Services on campus and helped found the Suspenders4Hope Mental Wellness and Suicide Prevention program, which is a strategic, research-based approach to help organizations of all sizes end mental health stigma, improve community support, and ultimately reduce deaths of despair. She also serves on the Sedgwick County Suicide Prevention Coalition and was appointed by the County Commissioner to serve on the Mental Health Advisory Board. She is a 3 time WSU alum who enjoys spending time with her spouse and 3 daughters and is passionate about leading the University’s efforts to bring hope to people in despair in our local community, Kansas and beyond.
Callie Dyer
Member-at-Large
The Executive Director of the Finney County Community Health Coalition (LiveWell Finney County). Dyer has over twenty-five years of professional experience engaging community partners through grassroots local coalition efforts. Early in Dyer’s professional career, she worked as a Prevention Specialist for the Southwest Kansas Regional Prevention Center. Prior to her work with Finney County Community Health Coalition, Inc. she worked for over twenty years in juvenile justice. Dyer is a non-profit executive with a comprehensive background in policy development, program management, fiscal accountability, coalition development and community mobilization. Dyer is a graduate of University of Oklahoma and Southeastern Oklahoma State University. Currently, she is also on the Tobacco Free Kansas Coalition, serves as the Chair for the Governor’s Behavioral Health Services Planning Council Prevention Sub-Committee, is on Kansas Governor’s Council on Fitness, the Kansas Community Health Worker Coalition, and a member of the City of Garden City Community Health Advisory Board. She is a Trainer in Adult Mental Health First Aid, Teen Mental Health First Aid, and Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs).
Zachary Mallory (They/He)
Member-at-Large
Zachary Mallory is currently the Vice Chair of the Johnson County Suicide Prevention Coalition and has spent the last decade advocating for mental health, suicide prevention, harm reduction, and community organizing. Zachary is heavily involved in advocacy efforts across the State of Kansas
Zachary is a person with lived experience with mental health and substance use disorder, and is a dedicated leader for public policy, advocacy, and uplifting the experiences of people with lived experience.
Zachary is an advocate for violence and harm reduction. Zachary is a proud member of the LGBTQ+ community and believes strongly in Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Justice and Belonging
Bailey Blair
President, She/Her
A micro and macro-level social work practitioner with +10 years of experience in a variety of roles in the behavioral health system and in the suicide prevention arena. As the Clinical Liaison for the Mental Health Association of South Central Kansas, Bailey provides coordination and clinical support for consumers entering mental health services from inpatient psychiatric care, correctional facilities, homeless shelters and other community providers. She also identifies as a person with lived experience and serves as Lead Trainer for the Kansas Certified Peer Specialist Training program. Bailey also serves on the Sedgwick County Suicide Prevention Coalition, and is a member of the Kansas Governor's Behavioral Health Services Planning Council Prevention Subcommittee and the State Suicide Prevention Plan Workgroup. Bailey is also the Vice-President and Lead Trainer for StopSuicideICT.
Alexis McMillin
Secretary, She/Her
Currently serves as an Outpatient Therapist with Southeast Kansas Mental Health Center. Alexis has a background in clinical and school psychology, as well as leadership in K-12 buildings with a combined 15 years experience in mental health and education. Alexis is passionate about suicide prevention and trauma-informed care. She lives in Southeast Kansas with her husband and three children.
Melissa Patrick
Treasurer, She/Her
A Kansas native, born in Wichita and now living in Kiowa. She is a daughter, an aunt, a friend, a partner, and a furbaby mom to her two dogs (Hank and Cash) and cat (Sniffles). Currently serving as Co-Director for the Kansas Consumer Advisory Council for Adult Mental Health (CAC), Melissa brings her lived experience as a trauma and suicide attempt survivor, and someone who has had interactions with the mental health system through diagnosis/treatment from a young age. Outside of her work with CAC and other stakeholder groups in Kansas, Melissa is also active in social media based mental health support communities where she has the opportunity to connect with people across the world. In her free time Melissa enjoys building her collection of memes, listening to music, and taking on new do-it-yourself home improvement projects.
Elaine Johannes
Member-at-Large, She/Her
The Kansas Health Foundation Distinguished Professor in Community Health for K-State Research and Extension and is a state Extension Specialist in the Department of Applied Human Sciences, College of Health and Human Sciences at Kansas State University. Dr. Johannes has degrees from Kansas State University in Psychology, masters in Adult and Community Counseling, a graduate certificate in Gerontology, and a doctorate in Lifespan Human Development. She has extensive experience in working with communities to address health disparities, unequal access to health care, and the social drivers and conditions that impact people’s health and well-being. Elaine is also a member of the Kansas Maternal and Child Health Council executive committee for the Bureau of Family Health in KDHE,and is a Governor’s appointee to the Kansas Dept.of Corrections Kansas Advisory Group for Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.
Dr. Jessica Provines
Member-at-Large, She/Her
Serves as the Assistant Vice President for Wellness and Chief Psychologist at Wichita State University. Motivated by her personal experience with mental health challenges and suicide loss, she spent many years as a DBT trained, university mental health provider before stepping into broader Student Affairs administration. As a community/clinical psychologist, Dr. Provines established Prevention Services on campus and helped found the Suspenders4Hope Mental Wellness and Suicide Prevention program, which is a strategic, research-based approach to help organizations of all sizes end mental health stigma, improve community support, and ultimately reduce deaths of despair. She also serves on the Sedgwick County Suicide Prevention Coalition and was appointed by the County Commissioner to serve on the Mental Health Advisory Board. She is a 3 time WSU alum who enjoys spending time with her spouse and 3 daughters and is passionate about leading the University’s efforts to bring hope to people in despair in our local community, Kansas and beyond.
Callie Dyer
Member-at-Large, She/Her
The Executive Director of the Finney County Community Health Coalition (LiveWell Finney County). Dyer has over twenty-five years of professional experience engaging community partners through grassroots local coalition efforts. Early in Dyer’s professional career, she worked as a Prevention Specialist for the Southwest Kansas Regional Prevention Center. Prior to her work with Finney County Community Health Coalition, Inc. she worked for over twenty years in juvenile justice. Dyer is a non-profit executive with a comprehensive background in policy development, program management, fiscal accountability, coalition development and community mobilization. Dyer is a graduate of University of Oklahoma and Southeastern Oklahoma State University. Currently, she is also on the Tobacco Free Kansas Coalition, serves as the Chair for the Governor’s Behavioral Health Services Planning Council Prevention Sub-Committee, is on Kansas Governor’s Council on Fitness, the Kansas Community Health Worker Coalition, and a member of the City of Garden City Community Health Advisory Board. She is a Trainer in Adult Mental Health First Aid, Teen Mental Health First Aid, and Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs).
Zachary Mallory
Member-at-Large, They/He
Zachary Mallory is currently the Vice Chair of the Johnson County Suicide Prevention Coalition and has spent the last decade advocating for mental health, suicide prevention, harm reduction, and community organizing. Zachary is heavily involved in advocacy efforts across the State of Kansas
Zachary is a person with lived experience with mental health and substance use disorder, and is a dedicated leader for public policy, advocacy, and uplifting the experiences of people with lived experience.
Zachary is an advocate for violence and harm reduction. Zachary is a proud member of the LGBTQ+ community and believes strongly in Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Justice and Belonging