When Tragedy Strikes, Readiness Can’t Wait Until Then
When a community loses someone to suicide or another sudden death, the ripple effects reach far beyond the immediate circle of grief — coworkers, classmates, neighbors, and entire organizations can feel the impact for months or years. The communities that respond best aren’t the ones scrambling to figure out what to do in the moment. They’re the ones who took an honest look at where they stood before a crisis ever occurred.
That’s exactly what NAMI New Hampshire’s Connect™ Postvention Program helps communities do — and we’re excited to share a new tool that makes that first step easier than ever.
Introducing the Postvention Readiness Assessment
Today we’re releasing the Postvention Readiness Assessment — Community Edition, a free, self-guided toolkit that helps any organization or community gauge how prepared it is to respond to a suicide, a drug poisoning (overdose) death, or another sudden loss.
The toolkit has two parts. The Readiness Assessment walks you through seven sections and seventeen questions covering motivation, awareness, infrastructure, coordination, capacity, readiness for action, and existing strengths — plus a simple scoring guide to total your results. The Decision Tree then translates that score, along with a few real-time considerations, into a clear, recommended next step for your community.
Built for Two Audiences, One Goal
We designed this edition with two groups in mind. If your community is about to reach out to NAMI NH for support, this assessment is the natural first step — our Connect team members may ask you to complete it before your first conversation, so we can meet you exactly where you are.
We’re also making it available to everyone who attends our conference sessions and workshops. Take it back to your own community, work through it with your team, and see what your results suggest. If they point toward reaching out, we’d welcome that conversation — but there’s no obligation either way.
What’s Inside
Each of the seven sections opens with a short description of what an actually ready community or organization looks like, so you’re not just answering questions in the abstract — you have something concrete to measure yourselves against. From there, a simple numeric scale, along with a few multiple-choice questions, builds toward a total readiness score between 6 and 25.
That score sorts into three bands — Low, Moderate, and High Readiness — each paired with a realistic recommended approach, from an introductory conversation and leadership engagement work, up through full Connect training and cross-sector planning. A red-flag checklist also flags situations, like severe staffing shortages or active conflict between partners, that should pause any plan regardless of score.
One Tool for Suicide and Drug Poisoning (Overdose) Death
NAMI NH’s Connect Postvention Program has long supported communities preparing for the aftermath of suicide. As we expand into supporting communities affected by drug poisoning (overdose) death as well, we built this assessment to work for either — the process of building readiness looks the same, whatever form the loss takes.
There’s no wrong answer anywhere in this toolkit. A low score isn’t a failing grade — it just tells you, and us, exactly where to start. A high score doesn’t mean the work is finished. Your total is a starting point for an honest conversation, not a verdict on your community.
Get Started
The Postvention Readiness Assessment — Community Edition is available now. Print it, fill it out digitally, or work through it as a team at your next staff meeting.
If your results suggest it’s time to talk, or if you just want to think it through with someone, reach out to our Connect team — we’re always glad to help a community take its next step, whatever that turns out to be.
Amy Cook, Director of Training
Email: acook@naminh.org
