NPC boosts mental health awareness
National Park College recently partnered with CHI St. Vincent Hot Springs and Suicide Prevention Allies to offer suicide awareness training on campus for faculty, staff and students.
Susie Reece, violence prevention specialist for CHI St. Vincent Hot Springs and executive director for SPA, visited campus on Oct. 11 for an informal presentation to students. Reece provided a general overview as part of a first-tier effort to introduce suicide awareness and mental health topics.
“National Park College is truly in a league of their own due to their eagerness to incorporate positive mental health and suicide prevention programming into their campus life,” Reece said. “Suicide Prevention Allies is extraordinarily grateful to National Park College for their ongoing
support of suicide prevention awareness. We are excited to see how our collaboration can benefit students, staff and faculty, and further prevention throughout our community.”
State Rep. Warwick Sabin introduced House Bill 1666 earlier this year to require institutions of higher education to provide information about mental health, suicide prevention services and early warning signs. The bill passed the Arkansas House of Representatives by a vote of 85-1 and the state Senate by a vote of 25-0. The bill became law as Act 1007 on April 7.
The college began more extensive suicide prevention efforts more than a year before the law passed when it partnered with SPA, the United Way of the Ouachitas and the Arkansas Department of Health to host the “Cracked, Not Broken Suicide Prevention Conference” in the Frederick M. Dierks Center for Nursing and Health Sciences in March 2016. SPA partnered with the college again this April for another awareness event.
A free safeTalk suicide awareness training session was held on campus Oct. 13. The second-tier, half-day alertness training is designed to help those who want to become alert to the dangers of suicide.
A variety of students, faculty, staff and community members attended. The session provided access to local resources and hands-on practice.
“This training is amazing and will make students aware of the mental health resources on our campus, as well as train them about how to react as bystanders on our campus,” Susan Millerd, behavioral intervention specialist at NPC, said.
“Thanks to Dr. Jerry Thomas (vice president for student affairs and enrollment management) and Susan Millerd for having the foresight and understanding of the value of building a healthier today,” Reece said. “We are better together.”
A third-tier training session is scheduled for the spring semester to provide intensive training for faculty and staff. The session will focus on identifying red flags for suicide prevention and mental health issues.
“Our goal is to remove the stigmas associated with mental health services,” Millerd said. “We want students, staff and community members to know that it is OK to seek help. Everyone needs support at some point in their life and there is no shame in reaching out.”
Calls can be made to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, 800-273-8255, for free 24 hours every day for confidential support, best practices for professionals and resources for prevention. An alternate line is available for anyone who is deaf or hard of hearing at 800-799-4889. A chat option is available online at https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org.
Trained crisis counselors at the Crisis Text Line at 741741 are also available for free 24 hours every day. Messages can also be sent to the Crisis Text Line account on Facebook.
The National Alliance on Mental Illness HelpLine is available Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Central Time at 800-950-6264. The HelpLine can also be reached through email at info@nami.org.
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s National Helpline is available 24 hours every day at 800-662-4357 for referrals to local treatment facilities, support groups and community-based organizations. Service is available in both English and Spanish. All calls are confidential.
The Dierks Center will be the site of the Veterans Mini-Mental Health Summit of the Ouachitas Thursday from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. The event was organized by the Veterans-Community Partnership of the Ouachitas.