ATLAS stands for Assisting Through Loss After Suicide, and is the name of Johnson County's Local Outreach to Suicide Survivors (LOSS) Team. ATLAS is a volunteer response team designed to guide individuals who have lost a loved one to suicide by providing support to ensure loss survivors are not alone, and help connect loss survivors to resources for ongoing support. Our vision is to be a shining light through the darkness of grief for loss survivors to promote healing and connection.

ATLAS Team Members have a variety of roles, but at our core, we provide support to individuals who have lost a loved one to suicide, when "activated" to do so. This may be shortly after an individual has passed away, or many months later. We provide peer support and resources, to help individuals understand that there are others who have been where they are.

Between 2015-2020, Johnson County lost 128 individuals to suicide (avg. of 25/year). Research suggests 135 individuals are exposed to suicide for each death, with an average of 6 individuals categorized as "suicide bereaved" where the loss has a long-lasting impact on their lives. For Johnson County, this could mean suicide exposure to over 17,000, with 768 suicide bereaved since 2015.

While the Suicide Prevention Coalition seeks to reduce the overall number of suicides, the ATLAS Team seeks to provide support for those who prevention efforts are too late. Individuals who have lost a loved one to suicide are at a higher risk for suicide ideation themselves, so ATLAS focuses on postvention as prevention.

Immediate postvention support is vital, as suicide loss survivors are at a higher risk of death by suicide and wait an average of 4.5 years before reaching out for support. While they try and work through their grief, they may utilize negative coping skills (i.e., excessive drinking, substance use, isolation) to manage the loss. The stigma surrounding suicide can negatively impact the bereaved individuals' willingness and ability to acknowledge the loss and reach out for the support they need.

The ATLAS team will provide a volunteer who can honestly say, "I've been where you are. I lost a loved one to suicide, and I can help you navigate through this." Having someone next to them who can talk about a loss to suicide helps to promote healing, connection, and decreases the lag time between loss and outreach for support.

ATLAS is open to anyone who is passionate about postvention as prevention. Response members should be individuals who have lost a loved one to suicide, a mental health professional, or a member of the faith community, etc. Individuals interested in being a Response Member should complete an application, go through an interview, and completing the required trainings.

Individuals who want to be a part of the Team, but aren't able or interested in being a response member have other options to get involved, each with different level of requirements.

If you're under 18, you could join ATLAS as a part of the Support Team! Watch the overview video to learn more, or review the available job descriptions.

Just like on an airplane when you're instructed to "put your own mask on first", we want to make sure you have enough time to work through through your grief before putting you in situations that may hinder your healing. While we recognize you will never be "over" losing someone, and two years may not be enough, it is a general baseline to start from, to ensure your mental health and the ability to provide support for others.

We understand! ATLAS will provide vital supports to individuals, but isn't for everyone. If you're not able to be a Response Member, we'd love to have you volunteer as a Telephone Liaison or a member of the Support Team.

If you get involved and realize you need a much further step back, we always need champions to help us plan events and raise funds. If you're passionate to be involved, we'll find a role for you!

ATLAS consists of a variety of roles: Team Coordinator, Team Co-Leads, Response Leads, Response Members, Telephone Liaison, and the Support Team. Check out our Job Descriptions and identify what may work best for you!

If none of these active roles support your passion, we always need champions to help us with events and fundraising!

In a community as "small" as Johnson, there is a strong chance you will have some connection to an individual or family at some point. We ask that you not go out on calls for anyone who would grant you the title of "Loss Survivor". This may be immediate or extended family, chosen family, neighbors, etc.; it will be your responsibility to identify these individuals.

We do! We reached out to the Coroner's Office at the beginning of our formation, and have had their support and input throughout the process. We are currently in process of expanding our community outreach to bring other community partners officially on board. If you have someone you think we should talk to, please let us know!

You need reliable access to transportation (personal/family car, Uber/Lyft, etc.) or an ability to get from your location to the designated meeting space in a timely manner. If this is a perceived challenge for you, reach out and we'll see how we can work around it - we don't want this to be a barrier!

If you are driving your personal/family car, you are required to carry appropriate car insurance. You'll be traveling as a volunteer, and Upstream nor ATLAS will be liable or responsible for any tickets or accidents that may occur while you're volunteering for ATLAS.

In general, our Telephone Liaison and Team Coordinator will make decisions on bad weather, and if a team should be activated. However, these individuals will not be traveling from (or to!) the same locations you are, so if you feel the roads are not safe, it is your responsibility to notify the Telephone Liaison and/or Team Coordinator. In cases where this is true, a delayed response protocol will be utilized.

Yes! It is your responsibility to notify the Telephone Liaison (ideally when called to go out) that you do not feel comfortable to go to a site. There are a variety of reasons this may occur; we just ask that you be honest with yourself and the team so that you are not put in an unhealthy situation, or aren't able to provide strong support for loss survivors. 

When representing ATLAS, you should have identifying apparel on. This includes the provided t-shirt, jacket or vest (as weather appropriate), your badge/lanyard, and a facemask. ATLAS recommends wearing long pants (instead of shorts) whenever weather permits, in order to allow you to be prepared for any site situation.

Masks are highly recommended (we are in a Pandemic!), as it is impossible for us to guarantee the vaccination status (nor safety precautions) of the individuals you'll interact with. Wearing the provided face mask will allow you to both protect yourself, as well as the loss survivor you're supporting. We recognize it can be harder to show empathy and connect with individuals with masks on; however, we do ask that you show up to the scene with a mask and wear until granted permission not to (if appropriate).

Ideally, no. Upstream has secured limited funding to offer a mileage reimbursement for the use of your car, and will provide all required materials (identifying outfit, resources, etc.). The goal cost to you is your time - nothing more.

We strive for ATLAS to arrive as soon as safely possible. However, as Johnson is a fairly large county and our volunteer numbers are (currently) lower, initial response times are expected to be longer. As a volunteer, you should be able to leave your existing location within a few minutes after being activated, give yourself time to safely travel to the meeting point, and then carpool to the site. To allow this to be as efficient as possible, we recommend keeping your kit and materials handy!

Ideally, you will not be called out more than once per week, but it depends on both the rotation schedule and the number of volunteers. If we launch with 5 volunteers and have 3 suicides in a week, we will have to send some of the same volunteers for the suicides later in the week. The more volunteers we have, the less frequently anyone will be on call or called to go out.