/ en Sat, 26 Apr 2025 04:05:52 -0500 Tue, 08 Apr 25 15:43:46 -0500 /role-hospitals-intermountain-health-partners-ad-council-address-firearm-injuries-among-youth <div class="container"><div class="row"><div class="col-md-9"><div class="row"><div class="col-md-6"><p><img src="/sites/default/files/2025-04/ths-agree-to-agree-700x532.jpg" data-entity-uuid data-entity-type="file" alt="Intermountain Health partners with Ad Council to address firearm injuries among youth. Agree to Agree poster shows two men talking" width="700" height="532"></p></div><p>For the past three years, firearm injuries have been the leading cause of death for children ages 1 to 17 in the United States. In response, the Ad Council, in partnership with Intermountain Health and a coalition of health care and business leaders, launched the social impact program "<a href="https://agreetoagree.org/" target="_blank">Agree to Agree</a>," an initiative to reduce gun-related tragedies affecting children and teens. The program focuses on the full spectrum of firearm injuries, including suicides, intentional and unintentional shootings.</p><p>“Over the past year, Intermountain caregivers have done extensive work in the areas of suicide prevention and gun safety,” said Rob Allen, president and chief executive officer of Intermountain Health. “By raising awareness and offering training and resources, we help to both save lives and remove the stigma around conversations on gun safety and mental health.”</p><p>Intermountain Health has been actively working to protect communities by distributing nearly 67,000 free firearm locks and increasing access to mental health resources. The "Agree to Agree" campaign focuses on the idea that gun owners and non-gun owners can agree that firearms should not be the leading cause of death for children and teens. The campaign includes public safety announcements for parents and health care professionals, directing them to resources on how to prevent firearm injuries and have supportive conversations about gun safety and mental health.</p><p><a class="btn btn-primary" href="https://news.intermountainhealth.org/intermountain-health-joins-initiative-to-curb-impact-of-firearm-injuries-and-deaths-on-americas-youth/">LEARN MORE</a></p></div></div><div class="col-md-3"><div><h4>Resources on the Role of Hospitals</h4><ul><li><a href="/community-benefit">Benefiting Communities</a></li><li><a href="/roleofhospitals">All Case Studies</a></li></ul></div></div></div></div> Tue, 08 Apr 2025 15:43:46 -0500 Suicide Prevention /role-hospitals-new-behavioral-health-center-offers-walk-mental-health-services-lancaster-general-hospital <div class="container"><div class="row"><div class="col-md-9"><div class="row"><div class="col-md-6"><p><img src="/sites/default/files/2025-03/ths-penn-lancaster-behavioral-health-center-700x532.jpg" data-entity-uuid data-entity-type="file" alt="Penn Lancaster. A female counselor holding a clibpoard and pen sits listening to a male patient" width="700" height="532"></p></div><p>People in need of immediate help with mental health issues have a new option for treatment with the opening of the <a href="https://www.lancastergeneralhealth.org/services-and-treatments/behavioral-health" target="_blank">Behavioral Health Center</a> at Lancaster General Hospital. Its Crisis Walk-In Center provides immediate behavioral health assessments and treatment, serving as a bridge to ongoing care.</p><p>The Interventional Psychiatry Program focuses on psychiatric conditions that don't respond well to first-line treatments. The center is expected to serve 900 patients annually for interventional psychiatry and 10,000 patients through the walk-in center, both in-person and by phone.</p><p>Patients visiting the walk-in center are greeted by a certified peer support specialist and connected with a registered nurse for a physical health assessment. If needed, they receive immediate counseling and are referred to the next level of service or scheduled for another appointment.</p><p>The center provides appointments and medication for up to 30 days before referring patients to longer-term services, aiming to reduce the boarding of low-risk behavioral health patients in the emergency department.</p></div></div><div class="col-md-3"><div><h4>Resources on the Role of Hospitals</h4><ul><li><a href="/community-benefit">Benefiting Communities</a></li><li><a href="/roleofhospitals">All Case Studies</a></li></ul></div></div></div></div> Mon, 10 Mar 2025 11:04:32 -0500 Suicide Prevention /role-hospitals-shodair-childrens-hospital-launches-hope-campaign <div class="container"><div class="row"><div class="col-md-9"><div class="row"><div class="col-md-6"><p><img src="/sites/default/files/2025-02/ths-shodair-hope-700x532.jpg" data-entity-uuid data-entity-type="file" alt="Shodair Children's Hope Campaign ad features a young girl smiling in a field of tall grass" width="700" height="532"></p></div><p>Shodair Children’s Hospital in Helena, Mont., has launched the Hope Campaign to reduce stigma and encourage conversations about youth mental health. Montana has the highest suicide rate in the nation among kids aged 10 to 14 and continues to face significant youth mental health challenges. Shodair is unique as the only Montana hospital in the Children’s Miracle Hospital Network and the sole psychiatric hospital among the network’s 175 hospitals in the U.S. and Canada.</p><p>The Hope Campaign seeks to raise funds to support treatments not covered by insurance. A key feature of the campaign is a children's book that tells a relatable story about animals in Montana's ecosystem, designed to help children discuss mental health and their feelings. The book, which will be distributed for free across the state, invites the public to support the initiative.</p><p>“We are trying to bring more awareness to what we’re doing here, the lives we continue to save, and reach out to kids and their families. I want to make them aware that this is a safe place to bring their kid to heal,” said hospital CEO Craig Aasved.</p><p><a class="btn btn-primary" href="https://www.ktvh.com/news/shodair-childrens-hospital-launches-hope-campaign">LEARN MORE</a></p></div></div><div class="col-md-3"><div><h4>Resources on the Role of Hospitals</h4><ul><li><a href="/community-benefit">Benefiting Communities</a></li><li><a href="/roleofhospitals">All Case Studies</a></li></ul></div></div></div></div> Tue, 18 Feb 2025 13:21:36 -0600 Suicide Prevention /news/headline/2024-10-11-survey-mental-health-suicide-prevention-shows-uptick-988-hotline-awareness <p>A <a href="https://suicidepreventionnow.org/" target="_blank" title="Suicide Prevention Now homepage">survey</a> released Oct. 9 and funded by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, the Suicide Prevention Resource Center and the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention, a public-private partnership whose members include the AHA, shows 63% of U.S. adults are aware of the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, a 6% increase from 2022. The survey also found that 71% of adults feel comfortable contacting a mental health hotline, while 15% said they have used one previously. Among other findings, 91% of U.S. adults perceive mental health as equal to or more important than physical health, but 49% feel that physical health is treated as more important.</p><p>For additional resources on suicide prevention, visit <a href="/suicideprevention">www.aha.org/suicideprevention</a>.</p> Fri, 11 Oct 2024 13:25:01 -0500 Suicide Prevention /news/chairpersons-file/2024-09-23-chair-file-supporting-mental-health-and-well-being-and-preventing-suicide <p>September is <a href="https://www.samhsa.gov/newsroom/observances/suicide-prevention-month" target="_blank" title="Suicide Prevention Awareness Month Website.">Suicide Prevention Awareness Month</a>. Suicide is a public health issue. Someone in the U.S. dies by suicide every 11 minutes. In 2022, suicide was among the top nine leading causes of death for people ages 10–64, and it was the second leading cause of death for people ages 10–14 and 25–34, according to the <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/suicide/facts/index.html" target="_blank" title="Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website ">Centers for Disease Control and Prevention</a>. Some populations have <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/suicide/disparities/index.html" target="_blank" title="Suicide disparities index">higher rates of suicide</a>, including active-duty military members and veterans. And for every suicide death, there are many, many more people who seriously consider, plan or attempt suicide. The devastating impact that losing a loved one to suicide has on families, friends and communities cannot be overstated.</p><p>Suicide is preventable. By helping people in times of crisis get the care and support they need — and addressing the stigma that may discourage people from seeking needed care — we can reduce factors that increase risk and increase factors that promote resilience and recovery.</p><p>An important aspect of suicide prevention is supporting the mental health and well-being of the workforce. In October 2022, U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, M.D., published a “<a href="https://www.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/workplace-mental-health-well-being.pdf" target="_blank" title="Framework for mental health and wellbeing, ">Framework for Workforce Mental Health & Well-being</a>.” This publication cited concerning statistics from a 2021 survey of workers across for-profit, nonprofit and government sectors: 76% of respondents reported at least one symptom of a mental health condition, an increase of 17 percentage points in only two years. In addition, 84% of respondents reported at least one workplace factor had a negative impact on their mental health. The surgeon general’s report noted that while the pandemic “did not create” such workplace stressors, “it worsened many of them.”</p><p>There is no health without mental health, and the AHA is committed to supporting mental well-being and improving access to behavioral health screenings, referrals and treatment. Visit <a href="/suicideprevention" target="_blank" title="AHA Suicide Prevention Web Site">AHA.org</a> for valuable resources on suicide prevention. Here are a few:</p><ul><li>An AHA <a href=/suicideprevention/health-care-workforce/suicide-prevention-guide" target="_blank" title="AHA Guide">guide</a> offers a curated list of 12 evidence-informed interventions that hospitals and health systems can implement to reduce the risk of suicide among their employees. We know that health care workers are at an increased risk for suicide due to long work hours, emotionally difficult situations with patients and their family members, risk of exposure to diseases and other hazards, including workplace violence, and routine exposure to human suffering and death.</li><li>Health care leaders must prioritize their mental well-being too. We know that stigma plays a role in clinical staff’s reluctance to report their own mental health challenges. Sharing a mental health issue should be treated the same as reporting a physical injury. In a powerful <a href="/stigma" target="_blank" title="Daryl Tol video">video</a> from the AHA, Daryl Tol, former CEO of AdventHealth Central Florida, discusses his personal struggle with anxiety and why health care leaders must eliminate the stigma around employees talking about their mental health. I encourage you to watch the video, if you haven’t already, and share it with your colleagues.</li><li>More than 30% of Americans have diagnosed anxiety disorders, and I talk with Robert Brady, who leads the Anxiety Disorders Service at Dartmouth Health, about this topic in a recent <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T-queynyeLE" target="_blank" title="Dartmouth Health Leadership Dialogue">Leadership Dialogue</a>.</li><li>When talking about suicide with patients and co-workers, the language we use is important. One of AHA’s <a href="/people-matter-words-matter" target="_blank" title="Words Matter People Matter Poster">People Matter, Words Matter</a> posters focuses on <a href="/system/files/media/file/2021/11/PMWM-suicide-destig-language.pdf" title="destigmatizing language about suicide">using destigmatizing language</a> about suicide.</li></ul><p>Too many individuals, families and communities have been affected by suicide. Talking more openly about suicide and mental health issues is a promising development — one that offers hope for reducing stigma, helping people become better informed, and finding solutions to ensure that people at risk feel supported and connected. Let’s keep these conversations going.</p><p><em>If you or anyone you know are in crisis, please call 988 — the suicide and crisis lifeline — or 911 or go to the nearest emergency department. </em></p> Mon, 23 Sep 2024 11:15:28 -0500 Suicide Prevention /news/headline/2024-09-18-aha-podcast-suicide-prevention-wisconsins-farming-community <p>The Farmer Angel Network support group is devoted to suicide prevention in Wisconsin's farming communities. In this conversation, co-founder Brenda Statz, Carey Craker, marketing and volunteer services associate at Reedsburg Area Medical Center, and Christy Updike, transformation program manager at Sauk Prairie Healthcare, discuss how this impactful work began, the domino effect that suicide can have in farming towns and the resources available to support families and loved ones. <a href="/advancing-health-podcast/2024-09-18-suicide-prevention-wisconsins-farming-communities"><strong>LISTEN NOW</strong></a> </p><div></div> Wed, 18 Sep 2024 16:05:34 -0500 Suicide Prevention /advancing-health-podcast/2024-09-18-suicide-prevention-wisconsins-farming-communities <p>The Farmer Angel Network is a support group devoted to suicide prevention in Wisconsin's farming communities. In this conversation, Brenda Statz, co-founder of the Farmer Angel Network, Carey Craker, marketing and volunteer services associate at Reedsburg Area Medical Center, and Christy Updike, transformation program manager at Sauk Prairie Healthcare, discuss how this impactful work began, the domino effect that suicide can have in farming towns, and the resources available to support families and loved ones.</p><hr><div><br> </div><p> </p><div class="raw-html-embed"> <details class="transcript"> <summary> <h2 title="Click here to open/close the transcript."> <span>View Transcript</span><br>   </h2> </summary> <p> 00:00:00:15 - 00:00:24:23<br> Tom Haederle<br> In 2022, more than 49,000 Americans took their own lives. Beyond the tragic loss of someone who might have been saved by seeking help in time, suicide has a domino effect, leaving devastated families and communities in its wake. Suicide happens across every sector of society and there are resources available to help. But for farmers in rural areas, accessing those resources is especially difficult. </p> <p> 00:00:24:26 - 00:00:39:10<br> Tom Haederle<br> That's why Farmer Angel Network in central Wisconsin has stepped up to help. </p> <p> 00:00:39:12 - 00:01:07:26<br> Tom Haederle<br> Welcome to Advancing Health, the podcast from the ���������� Association. I'm Tom Haederle with AHA communications. Farmer Angel Network is a support group founded to tackle suicide prevention, as well as assist loved ones who are coping with it after the fact and steer them to resources that can help. In today's podcast, hosted by Jordan Steiger, senior program manager of clinical affairs and workforce with AHA, we learn more about the group's important work and how area hospitals are contributing to the effort. </p> <p> 00:01:07:28 - 00:01:22:14<br> Tom Haederle<br> Jordan's guests are Brenda Statz, cofounder of Farmer Angel Network, Carey Craker, who handles marketing and volunteer services at Reedsburg Area Medical Center, and Christy Updike, transformation program manager with Sauk Prairie Healthcare. </p> <p> 00:01:22:16 - 00:01:45:12<br> Jordan Steiger<br> Brenda, Christy and Carey, thank you so much for joining us today on the Advancing Health podcast. We know that it is Suicide Prevention Month. We really want to shed light on the work that our members and our communities across the country are doing to bring some awareness about the issue of suicide, and I think the work that all of you are doing in your community in Wisconsin is really exceptional. </p> <p> 00:01:45:15 - 00:01:57:27<br> Jordan Steiger<br> So, Brenda, I'd like to start with you as one of the founders of the Farmer Angel Network. Could you please just tell us more about what the Farmer Angel Network is and what inspired you to start this initiative in your community? </p> <p> 00:01:57:29 - 00:02:16:21<br> Brenda Statz<br> We are just a group of people that started out at our church. I had lost my husband to suicide, maybe six years ago coming in October. And we started a support group of people to come in through our church. The president of the men's club, who was a friend of my husband's, wanted to do something. </p> <p> 00:02:16:21 - 00:02:38:05<br> Brenda Statz<br> And so he said, I just want to call people together to come in and talk, and that's how it started. And so the ladies of the church did a soup and sandwich luncheon, and we did it from noon to two, because that's when farmers usually come in to eat. And we put it out to Pam Jahnke on Channel 3 News and said, hey, we're having this gathering at Saint Peter's Church in Loganville. </p> <p> 00:02:38:07 - 00:03:04:05<br> Brenda Statz<br> Anyone who wants to come and talk or just needs someone to listen, or just wants to find out what's, you know, if something's going on in their life that they want some help with, they should show up. A lot of events we go to, we show up, and our main goal is to provide resources to the rural communities. Because when I went through it with my husband, everybody afterwards said, well, you could have gone here, you could have gone checked into this. </p> <p> 00:03:04:07 - 00:03:30:00<br> Brenda Statz<br> I didn't know any of that existed. And so I thought, this is some way that we can help other people and other families. And that was another big key to me was, for me, was to support the families, supporting those going through the crisis because they're already in trauma also. And that trickles down to the kids, all the way down, because it is a domino effect that affects everyone. </p> <p> 00:03:30:02 - 00:04:00:21<br> Brenda Statz<br> And so we try to bring resources to everyone to support the whole family. So, if the person does have to go into a treatment facility, by the time they come home, we can have the families supported. Because, like on a farm especially, somebody still has got to do the work whether you're there or not. And so if that person, like when my husband would go, that fell on me and my sons to do the cropping and get everything done while he was in the hospital. And the guilt that they have of not being there. But yet, they can't function where they're at. </p> <p> 00:04:00:21 - 00:04:18:18<br> Brenda Statz<br> So, that's what I always told them. You need to go where you can get help because we can't help you here on the farm. So that's your job now, to go get help. And so then he would agree to go, and we would take care of what needed to be done on the farm. But sometimes that can cause a lot of resentment to the other farm members </p> <p> 00:04:18:18 - 00:04:48:03<br> Brenda Statz<br> if it goes on for a long amount of time, because everybody gets tired; everybody gets stressed out. And if you don't teach them how to handle that stress, by the time that person comes home, they might be in a good place. Everybody at home is not, and that can just spiral out again. So, if we try to get everybody on a good place before they come home or whatever the situation they have going. That is our biggest goal that we have is just to bring resources, so people realize they are not alone. </p> <p> 00:04:48:06 - 00:05:16:23<br> Jordan Steiger<br> You've brought up so many important topics, I think within suicide prevention and just that introduction of the work that you do. I think, you know, surrounding the family and making sure that other people are empowered to take care of themselves as they're taking care for their family member that might be struggling. But one of the things that you really brought up, that I think maybe people in urban areas don't know as much, is just that stress that farmers face and those risk factors that come up for farmers and their families. </p> <p> 00:05:16:25 - 00:05:25:21<br> Jordan Steiger<br> So, I'm wondering if you could expand on that a little bit and just tell us about some of the unique things that farmers and farming communities face when it comes to mental health. </p> <p> 00:05:25:24 - 00:05:46:24<br> Brenda Statz<br> Stress is one of the number one things, but the biggest stressors they have is the weather. We can't change the weather. YouÕve got hay to make, youÕve got corn to plant. Everything relies on good weather or it's too dry. Last year we had a drought. I mean, we had half the crop or less because it wouldn't grow once you put the seed in the ground. </p> <p> 00:05:46:26 - 00:06:07:15<br> Brenda Statz<br> The other stressor we have is markets, totally out of our control. We have to take the price that is offered unless you work for a contract[BM1]. You know, there's ways that you can do that. But there's a lot of farmers that don't have access to that or just don't understand how to use the systems. And then other stress too, is just, having time to yourself. Time away, </p> <p> 00:06:07:15 - 00:06:30:18<br> Brenda Statz<br> time to get away from the farm, trying to relax somewhere. Because when you live where your job is, you never are off the clock. When you live in town, you work your job, you go home. When you're on a farm, you're at your job all the time, and you can never walk away. And so you have to teach people how to take time for themselves. </p> <p> 00:06:30:20 - 00:06:33:00<br> Christy Updike<br> I would add to that, if that's okay. </p> <p> 00:06:33:08 - 00:06:35:20<br> Jordan Steiger<br> Yeah, absolutely. Jump in, Christy. </p> <p> 00:06:35:23 - 00:07:05:29<br> Christy Updike<br> Couple additional things, are the transitions in farming. So many are family farms, and that transition to younger generations or having to sell or get out of farming are huge stressors and crisis moments for many people. That's a big risk factor that they're going through that. Another is access to guns or deadly weapons. So that is a standard part of living on a farm. </p> <p> 00:07:06:01 - 00:07:34:02<br> Christy Updike<br> It is a tool that we have to utilize. And unfortunately, that can be a risk factor in the farming. And the last one is isolation. So much of what farming is with the animals and the fields, and we don't have as many opportunities for fellowship. And that's one thing that Farmer Angel does, is to help bring farmers together to help address that isolation. </p> <p> 00:07:37:06 - 00:07:55:17<br> Jordan Steiger<br> I'm really glad you brought up isolation, because I was just going to ask Brenda about that. That was the first word that came to my mind when she was describing, you know, putting together this, this meal and, kind of fellowship at the church, you know, is just having that opportunity to come together, we know, is so important for mental health. </p> <p> 00:07:55:19 - 00:08:20:19<br> Jordan Steiger<br> It sounds like that's something that doesn't naturally always happen for people in farming communities. So, I think that, again, underscores the importance of the work that you guys are doing. So, I'd like to transition now and talk to our hospital leaders a little bit about how this actually works within the community. So, Christy and Carey, both of you represent two different hospitals, who work together as part of the Farmer Angel Network. </p> <p> 00:08:20:21 - 00:08:37:17<br> Jordan Steiger<br> I love to see when hospitals kind of come together for a common cause, and work across the organization to do something good for the community. So, I'd love for you to explain the role that hospitals play in this greater kind of network of work and the types of services that you provide. </p> <p> 00:08:37:19 - 00:09:07:24<br> Christy Updike<br> Sure, I'll start off with that and then Carey can jump in. To start with, Carey and I are both part of farming families as well. So, we have our professional roles and represent our organizations, but then also have our personal roles in being part of farming. And many of the people that we serve in both of our hospital service areas are either farmers, farm families or farm workers. </p> <p> 00:09:07:24 - 00:09:37:06<br> Christy Updike<br> They're part of that agricultural community. So, what we do as hospital partners with Farmer Angel Network is to offer our own resources as a part of our professional roles, to help the network coordinate the activities to achieve their mission. So, for example, in my role, I serve on board for the network and bring in the resources we have from the hospital. Whatever </p> <p> 00:09:37:06 - 00:10:18:26<br> Christy Updike<br> that might be, my time, the tools and resources, other experts. We also are able to support with expenses or resources like materials and printing materials, which Reedsburg Area Medical Center has done, as well as Sauk Prairie Healthcare. And we cohost and comarket our events. We have also trained our health care providers. So, with the collaboration with Farmer Angel Network, we've brought in different trainings for suicide prevention and for caring for farmers. </p> <p> 00:10:18:28 - 00:10:50:21<br> Christy Updike<br> And then we offered a continuing medical education collaborative with our entire county. So, all health care providers and behavioral health care providers in our county that are working toward suicide prevention on how they can best understand the farmers they care for, and practical strategies to help with suicide prevention, mental health care. So, I think with that, Carey can jump in as well. </p> <p> 00:10:50:23 - 00:11:26:19<br> Carey Craker<br> Sure. Just to expand a little bit on what Christy said. We help get the resources out there to our rural communities. As with any support group, you have times when things don't get better or when things escalate beyond what our group can help with. Reedsburg has both emergency services for crisis that's available 24/7 and a dedicated and growing behavioral health team thatÕs comprised of people from the rural community who understand rural living, farmers and rancher perspective. </p> <p> 00:11:26:21 - 00:11:51:09<br> Jordan Steiger<br> One thing that you both just brought up was that kind of cultural awareness around, you know, making sure that your providers and your behavioral health providers are aware of some of these things that we're talking about, you know, that could really affect farming communities. I'm a licensed, clinician myself. I'm a social worker, and I can tell you I did not learn in social work school how to care for these types of communities. </p> <p> 00:11:51:09 - 00:12:17:18<br> Jordan Steiger<br> And I think it's something that is really important to understand if you're going to be in that situation. So, I think that offering the CME credit, like you mentioned, offering that training at lots of different like lengths and, you know, over different times, I think is really probably very effective for, for you. Carey, I'm wondering if you have any advice for other rural hospital leaders who might say, like, wow, this program and this work is incredible. </p> <p> 00:12:17:18 - 00:12:20:24<br> Jordan Steiger<br> I want to start this in my community. What would you tell them? </p> <p> 00:12:20:27 - 00:12:48:04<br> Carey Craker<br> I think the biggest thing is going off of what we call our community needs health assessment. It's done nationwide and for the last, I don't know how many years, mental health has been at the top of the list. And so between us, Sauk Prairie Healthcare and the other hospitals in the area, it's the top of our conversation whenever we're looking at what do we need to do to help the community? </p> <p> 00:12:48:08 - 00:13:03:05<br> Carey Craker<br> So, the biggest thing, I think, would be, you know, to come together. We're not standing alone where hospitals in small communities who need to band together to help this mental health need. </p> <p> 00:13:03:08 - 00:13:32:17<br> Jordan Steiger<br> I think that's great advice. Again, just, you know, we're not in silos. I guess that's kind of a farming pun. I didn't mean that, but we should be working together. Not even just with other hospitals, but, you know, other community organizations, other groups across your, you know, your county, your region. I think that you guys have really done a great job of not staying just within the hospital or staying within a church or staying within these small entities, but really coming together. </p> <p> 00:13:32:20 - 00:13:49:14<br> Jordan Steiger<br> As we wrap up, I'd like to just turn it back to Brenda. I want to thank you for starting this and having the courage and the foresight to say that this is something that your community needed and using the loss that you endured to help other people. I think itÕs a really beautiful thing. </p> <p> 00:13:49:16 - 00:14:10:03<br> Brenda Statz<br> When it comes to this, like we are a network and that's why we are called the Farmer Angel Network. I always say, if one of us doesn't know something, we might know somebody who does. So, we all work together to get to the end result, which is to help the family or to help those that are struggling. And there is a lot of training. I've done mental health, first aid responder and safe talk training. </p> <p> 00:14:10:06 - 00:14:29:05<br> Brenda Statz<br> And that's what we've done with the hospitals. And the one thing I give them as advice is when a farmer finally decides to come in, don't just brush them off because it's going to take 15 minutes before they finally come forward with why they're there, because it takes a lot [BM2]for them to leave the farm because they've got 100 things to do. </p> <p> 00:14:29:05 - 00:14:44:06<br> Brenda Statz<br> So, they have to be in a really bad place before they will come in. And I said, they're going to walk in your office and they're going to talk about the dog, the weather and everything else. And then when you'll say, well, I guess our 15 minutes is up, and then they'll say, wait a minute, I've been struggling with this. </p> <p> 00:14:44:06 - 00:15:22:17<br> Brenda Statz<br> It takes time for them to gain your trust because a person with mental health, like with my husband, it takes a long time before you can trust someone to tell them that they're struggling with something like this, because farmers are fixers and they try to fix it themselves, and they wait so long to go in. But once they get in and they get the right tools or medication or whatever they need to help them navigate what they've got going on in their life, they do respond that much better once they've let it out, that they need help. And we just need to just, really, just listen because sometimes they just want to be heard. </p> <p> 00:15:22:19 - 00:15:39:12<br> Jordan Steiger<br> Sometimes just a very easy conversation to say, hey, I'm not doing okay. It's just the gateway that you need. I think everyone listening to this is going to be able to take something away, and we really appreciate the work that you're doing on behalf of all of our hospitals and all of the people that you serve. So, thank you. </p> <p> 00:15:39:16 - 00:15:40:21<br> Christy Updike/Brenda Statz overlapping <br> Thank you. Thank you. </p> <p> 00:15:40:24 - 00:15:42:16<br> Carey Craker<br> Thank you, Jordan. </p> <p> 00:15:42:18 - 00:15:50:29<br> Tom Haederle<br> Thanks for listening to Advancing Health. Please subscribe and rate us five stars on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. </p> </details> </div> Tue, 17 Sep 2024 23:26:01 -0500 Suicide Prevention /role-hospitals-intermountain-health-nfl-pros-tackle-importance-mental-health <div class="container"><div class="row"><div class="col-md-9"><div class="row"><div class="col-md-5"><p><img src="/sites/default/files/2024-05/ths-intermountain-strongest-play-is-asking-for-help-700x532.jpg" data-entity-uuid data-entity-type="file" alt="Intermountain Health. The Strongest Play is Asking For Help panelists answer questions from the stage" width="700" height="532" class="align-left"></p></div><p>The alarming rise in the prevalence of mental health disorders and suicide among young people has been widely documented, but when the epidemic is spotlighted for high schoolers by a group of current and former NFL pros the message is especially hard-hitting.</p><p>Timed to coincide with May as Mental Health Awareness Month, Intermountain Health invited “The Defensive Line,” a group of professional athletes who have struggled with their own mental health issues, to talk with high school students in Las Vegas’s Clark County School District about the importance of addressing mental health.</p><p>“The Strongest Play is Asking for Help” event reinforced themes of honesty and empowerment to a diverse audience that included city and community leaders as well as students. Each player shared personal anecdotes, illustrating their struggles with mental health and the journey toward openness.</p><p>The players on the panel who talked to the students included: Solomon Thomas, co-founder of The Defensive Line, New York Jets; Brandon Bolden, formerly of the Las Vegas Raiders/New England Patriots; Darren Waller, New York Giants; Carl Nassib, retired NFL player; Alec Ingold, Miami Dolphins; Cedric Tillman, Cleveland Browns; and Marcus Smith, retired NFL player.</p><p>The Defensive Line has been working nationwide on suicide prevention messaging, especially calling out the increased risk for Black youth. Among those youth, the risk for Black females has risen by 182 percent between 2001-2017.</p><p>Black men also have elevated risks with 80 percent of suicides among that population being male, and the highest number of them are in their early 20’s.</p><p>“We have been defined as men that we have to be tough, and that we define strength in the entirely wrong way,” said Solomon Thomas on the panel. “But through my journey of grief, my own mental health journey, and everything I have been in, I have learned that being tough is not strength. Strength is being vulnerable.”</p><p>The panel conversation can be found at www.strongestplay.com along with local and national mental health resources.</p><p><a class="btn btn-wide btn-primary" href="https://news.intermountainhealth.org/nfl-pros-open-up-about-mental-health-and-resilience-with-intermountains-the-strongest-play-is-asking-for-help-initiative/">LEARN MORE</a></p><p> </p></div></div><div class="col-md-3"><div><h4>Resources on the Role of Hospitals</h4><ul><li><a href="/topics/promoting-healthy-communities">Supporting Public Health</a></li><li><a href="/roleofhospitals">All Case Studies</a></li></ul></div></div></div></div> Thu, 23 May 2024 13:40:05 -0500 Suicide Prevention /news/headline/2024-04-24-hhs-releases-national-suicide-prevention-strategy-plan <p>The Department of Health and Human Services and National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention, a public-private partnership whose members include the AHA, April 23 released a <a href="https://theactionalliance.org/national-strategy-suicide-prevention">national strategy and federal plan</a> to prevent suicide over the next 10 years. The updated strategy includes a new pillar prioritizing equity for populations disproportionately impacted by suicide. The new federal action plan includes identifying ways to address substance use and suicide risk together in the clinical setting; funding a mobile crisis locator for use by 988 crisis centers; increasing support for survivors of suicide loss and others whose lives have been impacted by suicide; and evaluating promising community-based suicide prevention strategies.  <br><br>“We are pleased to release this National Strategy for Suicide Prevention, updated for the first time in more than a decade, with the best knowledge and practices to date that we have to offer,” <a href="https://www.hhs.gov/about/news/2024/04/23/biden-harris-administration-releases-national-strategy-suicide-prevention-first-ever-federal-action-plan.html">said</a> Miriam Delphin-Rittmon, HHS assistant secretary for mental health and substance use. “The need for this strategy is reflected in the heart-breaking and alarmingly high statistics surrounding suicide and suicidal ideation. This strategy is the product of an ongoing commitment, and we stand, hand-in-hand with people with lived experience, federal and private sector partners, and everyone committed to this work that will ultimately save lives.” <br> </p> Wed, 24 Apr 2024 16:01:03 -0500 Suicide Prevention /mental-health-awareness-month <div class="container"><p>May is a time to raise awareness of those living with mental or behavioral health issues and to help reduce the stigma so many experience. 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Behavioral health providers that are members of the ���������� Association add their voice and influence to the nation’s leading advocate for hospitals and health systems. The AHA provides its behavioral health members with valuable benefits, including advocacy, resources and initiatives designed to improve access to and strengthen the delivery of affordable, high-quality behavioral health care"><img src="/sites/default/files/2025-02/weareaha-bh-2025-carousel-196x113.png" data-entity-uuid="" data-entity-type="" alt="Agenda cover snippet" width="196" height="113"></a><h3 class="SliderArticlesTitle"><a href="/system/files/media/file/2025/02/2025_WeareAHA_Behavioral_Health_Final.pdf" target="_blank" title="We are AHA. Behavioral health providers that are members of the ���������� Association add their voice and influence to the nation’s leading advocate for hospitals and health systems. The AHA provides its behavioral health members with valuable benefits, including advocacy, resources and initiatives designed to improve access to and strengthen the delivery of affordable, high-quality behavioral health care">We are AHA, 2025</a></h3></div></div><div class="item"><div class="SliderArticlesWrapper"><a href="/advocacy-agenda"><img src="/sites/default/files/2025-01/2025-advocacy-agenda-cover-196x113.png" data-entity-uuid="" data-entity-type="" alt="Agenda cover snippet" width="196" height="113"></a><h3 class="SliderArticlesTitle"><a href="/advocacy-agenda">AHA Advocacy Agenda</a></h3></div></div><div class="item"><div class="SliderArticlesWrapper"><a href="/suicideprevention/health-care-workforce"><img src="/sites/default/files/2022-10/suicide-prevention-carousel-196x113.jpg" data-entity-uuid="" data-entity-type="" alt="female health care worker looks distressed, rubs forehead" width="196" height="113"></a><h3 class="SliderArticlesTitle"><a href="/suicideprevention/health-care-workforce">Suicide Prevention: Interventions for the Health Care Workforce</a></h3></div></div><div class="item"><div class="SliderArticlesWrapper"><a href="/maternal-mental-health"><img src="/sites/default/files/2022-04/stock-pregnant-woman-fall-leaves-196x113.jpg" alt="A pregnant woman stands with hands crossed on belly on a street lined with fallen leaves." width="196" height="113"></a><h3 class="SliderArticlesTitle"><a href="/maternal-mental-health">Maternal Mental Health</a></h3></div></div><div class="item"><div class="SliderArticlesWrapper"><a href="/child-and-adolescent-mental-health"><img src="/sites/default/files/2022-04/stock-chalk-drawing-rainbow-196x113.jpg" alt="A child draws a chalk rainbow on pavement." width="196" height="113"></a><h3 class="SliderArticlesTitle"><a href="/child-and-adolescent-mental-health">Child and Adolescent Mental Health</a></h3></div></div><div class="item"><div class="SliderArticlesWrapper"><a href="/people-matter-words-matter"><img src="/sites/default/files/2021-02/people-matter-words-matter-196x113.png" alt="People Matter, Words Matter cover" width="196" height="113"></a><h3 class="SliderArticlesTitle"><a href="/people-matter-words-matter">People Matter, Words Matter</a></h3></div></div><div class="item"><div class="SliderArticlesWrapper"><a href="/2011-02-07-national-mental-health-organizations"><img src="/sites/default/files/2023-02/nmho-carousel-196x113.jpg" alt="head silhouette drawn in pins and thread" width="196" height="113"></a><h3 class="SliderArticlesTitle"><a href="/2011-02-07-national-mental-health-organizations">National Mental Health Organizations</a></h3></div></div><div class="item"><div class="SliderArticlesWrapper"><a href="/bibliographylink-page/2017-12-11-behavioral-health-updates"><img src="/sites/default/files/2020-06/newsletter-hands-holding-tablet-reading-news-196x113.jpg" data-entity-uuid="" data-entity-type="" alt="news on a tablet" width="196" height="113"></a><h3 class="SliderArticlesTitle"><a href="/bibliographylink-page/2017-12-11-behavioral-health-updates">Behavioral Health Updates Newsletter</a></h3></div></div><div class="item"><div class="SliderArticlesWrapper"><a href="/news/perspective/2024-04-26-integrating-mental-and-physical-health-better-support-patients-and-communities"><img src="/sites/default/files/2020-06/rick-pollack-perspective-196x113.jpg" data-entity-uuid="" data-entity-type="" alt="Rick Pollack headshot" width="196" height="113"></a><h3 class="SliderArticlesTitle"><a href="/news/perspective/2024-04-26-integrating-mental-and-physical-health-better-support-patients-and-communities">Perspective: Integrating Mental and Physical Health to Better Support Patients and Communities</a></h3></div></div><div class="item"><div class="SliderArticlesWrapper"><a href="/directory/council-roster-psychiatric-and-substance-abuse-services-section"><img src="/sites/default/files/2025-02/bh-committee-carousel-196x113.png" alt="roster cover" width="196" height="113"></a><h3 class="SliderArticlesTitle"><a href="/directory/council-roster-psychiatric-and-substance-abuse-services-section">Behavioral Health Services Committee Membership Roster</a></h3></div></div></div><div class="MS-controls">‹›</div></div> $('#SliderArticles').multislider({ interval: 4000, slideAll: false, duration: 1500, hoverPause: true, }); </div><div class="row"><div class="col-md-7"><p class="lead field_lead"> </p><p class="lead field_lead">As Mental Health Awareness Month, May is a time to raise awareness of and reduce the stigma surrounding behavioral health conditions, as well as highlighting the ways how mental illness and addiction can affect all of us – patients, providers, families, and our society at large.</p><p>Hospitals and health systems play an important role in the conversations we have around mental health care, including creating partnerships that address behavioral health conditions in non-traditional ways. Many of our members are creating new innovations around how behavioral health disorders are identified and treated—through the integration of physical and behavioral health services, and the creation of EmPath units, behavioral health urgent care clinics and crisis intervention services to reduce the use of emergency departments. These strategies improve the overall value of health care and can lead to improvements in patient outcomes, quality of care and total costs.</p><p>As part of its long-standing commitment to supporting all organizations that work in the realm of behavioral health care, AHA supports the integration of behavioral and physical health, and will continue to help hospitals as they play key roles in establishing partnerships and programs to ensure access to the full continuum of behavioral health care for all who need it.</p></div><div class="col-md-5"><div class="panel module-typeC"><h4 class="panel-heading">Get Involved</h4><div class="panel-body"><p><a href="https://mhanational.org/mental-health-month/planning-guide/" target="_blank">Mental Health America 2025 Mental Health Month Toolkit</a></p><p><a href="https://www.nami.org/Get-Involved/Awareness-Events/Mental-Health-Awareness-Month" target="_blank">National Alliance on Mental Illness Awareness Events</a></p><p><a href="https://www.samhsa.gov/programs/mental-health-awareness-month" target="_blank" title="SAMSHA: Mental Health Awareness Month">SAMHSA Mental Health Awareness Month Resources</a></p><p><a href="https://wmmhday.postpartum.net/" target="_blank">May 7, 2025 – World Maternal Mental Health Day</a></p><p><a href="https://www.ffcmh.org/acceptancecampaign" target="_blank">May 4-10, 2025 – Children’s Mental Health Acceptance Week: “That’s a WRAP! Wellness, Resilience, Action, and Purpose”</a></p><p><a href="https://www.samhsa.gov/prevention-week" target="_blank">May 11-17, 2025 – SAMHSA’s National Prevention Week</a></p><p><a href="https://www.ncoa.org/article/advancing-behavioral-health-programs-for-older-adults/" target="_blank">May 1, 2025 – Older Adults Mental Health Awareness Day</a></p></div></div></div></div><div class="row col-md-12"><div class="panel module-typeC"><div class="panel-body"><h3>AHA Resources</h3><h4><a href="/system/files/media/file/2025/02/2025_WeareAHA_Behavioral_Health_Final.pdf" target="_blank">We are AHA: Behavioral Health, 2024</a></h4><p>The AHA provides its behavioral health members with valuable benefits, including advocacy, resources and initiatives designed to improve access to and strengthen the delivery of affordable, high-quality behavioral health care. <a href="/other-resources/2025-02-26-we-are-aha-behavioral-health" target="_blank">Learn more</a> about AHA’s behavioral health wins in 2024.</p><hr><h4><a href="/system/files/media/file/2024/12/integrating-physical-behavioral-resources-2024 final.pdf" target="_blank">Integrating Physical and Behavioral Health<img src="/themes/custom/aha/images/icons/type-MembersOnlyContent.svg" width="25" height="25"></a></h4><p>The push for integrated care is not new, but the time to act is now. AHA has developed and shared a variety of resources to inspire and help hospitals and health systems implement integrated services.</p><hr><h4>Enhancing Community Connection through Loneliness Prevention Initiatives</h4><p>In 2023, the U.S. Surgeon General issued a shocking 80-plus page advisory declaring loneliness and social isolation as reaching epidemic levels in American society. Listen to AHA members <a href="/advancing-health-podcast/2023-09-06-checking-you-addressing-loneliness-care-callers">Meritus Health</a> and <a href="/advancing-health-podcast/2024-02-14-sparking-social-connection-and-community-indiana-university-health">Indiana University Health</a> share how they’ve addressed this epidemic with patients in their care and learn more about the negative impacts of social isolation and loneliness on mental and physical health in this <a href="/news/blog/2024-05-15-social-isolation-and-loneliness-understanding-mental-health-crisis">blog post from Azziza Bankole, M.D., DFAPA</a>, professor of psychiatry at the Virginia Tech Carillion School of Medicine, program director of the Geriatric Psychiatry Fellowship, and chief diversity officer.</p><hr><h4><a href="/news/blog/2023-05-16-supporting-behavioral-health-older-americans">Supporting the Behavioral Health of Older Americans</a></h4><p>In addition to Mental Health Awareness Month, May is Older Americans Month.  Arpan Waghray, M.D., CEO, Providence’s Well Being Trust, and Past Chair of the  ���������� Association Committee on Behavioral Health, discusses senior mental health and offers resources on mental health in older adults.</p><hr><h4><a href="/child-and-adolescent-mental-health" target="_blank" title="Child and Adolescent Mental Health landing page">Child & Adolescent Mental Health</a> and <a href="/maternal-mental-health">Maternal Mental Health</a> Webpages</h4><p>These resources pages are designed to provide information, resources, and best practices to better support hospitals and health systems in addressing child and adolescent mental health and maternal mental health.</p><hr><h4 class="text-align-left"><a href="/people-matter-words-matter" target="_blank">People Matter, Words Matter</a><img src="/themes/custom/aha/images/icons/type-MembersOnlyContent.svg" width="25" height="25"></h4><p class="text-align-left">The AHA, together with behavioral health and language experts from member hospitals and partner organizations, has released a series of downloadable posters to help your employees adopt patient-centered, respectful language. Please consider downloading, printing and sharing each poster with your team members and encourage them to use this language both in front of patients and when talking to colleagues. People matter and the words we use to describe them or the disorders they have matter. Our most recent poster addresses using <a href="/system/files/media/file/2025/03/PMWM-aging.pdf">caring and compassionate language about aging</a>.</p><hr><h4 class="text-align-left"><a href="/opioids">Opioid Stewardship</a></h4><p class="text-align-left">The resources on this webpage illustrate how hospitals and health systems are working to “Stem the Tide” of the opioid epidemic – but much work remains.</p><hr><h4 class="text-align-left"><a href="/suicideprevention/health-care-workforce">Suicide Prevention in the Health Care Workforce<img src="/themes/custom/aha/images/icons/type-MembersOnlyContent.svg" width="25" height="25"></a></h4><p class="text-align-left">AHA is pleased to offer resources that make it easier for hospitals and health systems to discover proven strategies and deploy best practices that improve the mental health and wellbeing of their staff and breathe new life into America’s most trusted professionals.</p></div></div></div> <h4> <a href="/advocacy/access-and-health-coverage/access-behavioral-health">More Behavioral Health Resources</a> </h4> <hr> <h4> <a href="/behavioralhealth/access-capacity-resources">Access & Capacity</a> </h4> <h4> <a href="/behavioralhealth/awareness-prevention-resources">Awareness & Prevention</a> </h4> <h4> <a href="/behavioralhealth/clinical-innovation-resources">Clinical Innovation</a> </h4> <h4> <a href="/behavioralhealth/advocacy-and-regulatory-resources">Advocacy & Regulatory</a> </h4> </div> --></div><div class="container"><div class="row col-md-12"><hr><h4>For More Behavioral Health Resources</h4><div class="btn-group btn-group-justified"><a class="btn btn-primary" href="/advocacy/access-and-health-coverage/access-behavioral-health">Behavioral Health Home</a> <a class="btn btn-primary" href="/behavioralhealth/advocacy-and-regulatory-resources">Advocacy & Regulatory</a> <a class="btn btn-primary" href="/behavioral-health-physical-behavioral-health-integration-resources">Physical & Behavioral Health Integration</a></div><div class="btn-group btn-group-justified"><a class="btn btn-primary" href="/stigma">Combating Stigma</a> <a class="btn btn-primary" href="/behavioral-health-community-partnerships">Community Partnerships</a> <a class="btn btn-primary" href="/suicideprevention">Suicide Prevention</a></div></div><div class="row col-md-12"><p> </p></div></div> Tue, 23 Apr 2024 14:28:34 -0500 Suicide Prevention