Inyo County Schools Educate Students and Staff During National Suicide Prevention Month

September is Suicide Prevention Month and Inyo County Schools will be taking time this month to spotlight and educate students and staff on suicide prevention. Every year, mental health organizations and individuals across the United States and around the world raise awareness of suicide prevention during the month of September. Suicide is the second-leading cause of death among people ages 15 to 24. It is important to emphasize prevention and support for youth experiencing thoughts of suicide. Youth suicide is preventable and every person can take part in prevention. Suicide rates for youth can be substantially reduced by: knowing the signs, making it more difficult for an individual to die in an act of deliberate self-harm, and improving access to mental health resources. It all comes down to prevention, intervention, education and support.

Inyo County Schools are doing our part to help keep our youth safe. All seventh through twelfth grade school staff members are required to participate in a suicide prevention training course. The LivingWorks-Start online training that Inyo County has utilized provides school staff with the signs to help identify a student in crisis and how to intervene and seek further help. It is also a requirement that students of this same grade span, participate in suicide prevention activities each year and Inyo County Schools have some great methods in which to do this, including the LivingWorks-Start Online Training for students. In addition to the mandated staff and student prevention training, Inyo County Office of Education will continue to host free Youth Mental Health First Aid (YMHFA) training to educators and interested community members throughout the year. YMHFA is a program designed to help youth in non-crisis and crisis situations until a higher level of care can be obtained.

If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, never hesitate to reach out for help. Below are some resources we recommend you store in your phone so you are able to connect youth (or anyone) with support: 1) Inyo County Local Crisis # 1-800-841-5011, 2) National Suicide Hotline, Dial 988, 3) OR text HOME to 741741 to reach a crisis counselor. Our North Star Counseling Center team can be reached for more information or to find local support, please call North Star Counseling Center at 760-873-4206 or email [email protected].

News Staff