• Sept. 8: A virtual QPR (Question, Persuade, Refer) training session, noon.
• Sept. 9: A Campus Mental Health Supports Resource Fair, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the SAC Atrium.
• Sept. 9: Virtual QPR training, 3 p.m.Ěý
• Sept. 9: AFSP’s virtual “It’s Real: Mental Health for College Students” video and discussion, 6-7 p.m.Ěý
• Sept. 10: Bereaved by suicide support groups, faculty and staff, 12-1 p.m.; students, 2-3 p.m.Ěý

Also to mark National Suicide Prevention Week, UofL Health – Peace Hospital and Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear are calling on everyone to help those in crisis find resources and save lives.Ěý

“With the mental health challenges many people have faced during the pandemic, it is more important than ever to be supportive, to make sure they realize they are not alone, for us to know the signs and to take immediate action to help those in crisis,” Governor Beshear said in a press release. “Through the remainder of this pandemic and as we emerge, we must look out for our fellow Kentuckians and protect one another to prevent us from losing more beloved family members, friends and neighbors to suicide.”

Last year, 756 Kentuckians died by suicide, making it the 11th leading cause of death and second among those ages 10-34.Ěý

Peace Hospital is among the largest behavioral health facilities in the nation, offering 24/7 no-charge assessments and support for all ages. Call 502-451-333.Ěý

More information about the on-campus Cards Speak events can be . Cards Speak counseling hours are also at 502-852-6585.Ěý

Also, the UofL ConcernCenter is available to help you find resources on campus based on various concerns. .Ěý

The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is available at 1-800-273-8255.Ěý

“More than 10 million Americans will have thoughts about suicide every year. We lost a heartbreaking 756 Kentuckians last year. One is too many,” said Martha Mather, Chief Administrative Officer of UofL Health – Peace Hospital. “It is important we talk about suicide and mental health. The more we talk about it, it reduces the stigma. And the more we know about it, the better prepared we are to step in to help.”

The percentage of adults ages 18 to 25 who have had serious thoughts of suicide in Kentucky is 7.45%. Further, 46% of college students have a diagnosable mental health issue, half of which are untreated.Ěý

These numbers indicate a crisis and, as we mark Suicide Prevention Month in September, UofL is focused on ensuring our students are aware of the resources available on campus to help them better manage their mental health.Ěý

The University of Louisville Counseling Center, for example, provides short-term individual, group, and couples counseling, crisis intervention and psychological testing. The Dean of Students Office, Residence Life and UofL Department of Public Safety are also equipped with suicide prevention resources and help.Ěý

Then, , part of Student Affairs. The program was created specifically to provide training and awareness campaigns for students, faculty and staff. To mark Suicide Prevention Month, the group will host tabling events Sept. 19 and 23 from noon to 1:30 p.m. in the SAC across from Chick-fil-A. The group will also host a “100 reasons to live” tree showcasing students’ artwork drawn on leaves.Ěý

Also in September, the University of Louisville’s Dean of Students and Counseling Center encourages students to complete the online, interactive Kognito training, which allows users to learn how to help a friend or fellow student who is struggling.ĚýTopics include techniques to talk to a friend you are concerned about, how to recognize signs of distress and what support services are available on campus. For the college-aged cohort specifically, such interactive training is critical, according to Geri Morgan, student care manager in the Dean of Students’ office.Ěý

“Suicide remains the second leading cause of death among traditionally-aged college students,” Morgan said. “We know from UofL’s well-being survey that students are more likely to go to a friend with their thoughts of suicide rather than to a family member, adviser, or instructor. Helping students learn and practice the skills to help their friends is important in getting students under such stress to professional help and potentially saving someone’s life.”

UofL is also focused on educating the community about suicide risk and ways to support loved ones. From Sept. 26-28, will lead a training, hosted by UofL’s Kent School, called “Navigate: Helping Families Navigate Suicide Risk.” The training will be held in Burhans Hall on the Shelby Campus.Ěý

The first day will cover an overview of suicide risk and assessment, including managing ongoing suicide risk and determining appropriate response based on risk levels. The other days focus on understanding family factors, including communication, response, dynamics and youth and adult development; and guidelines for moving forward, including family safety planning, tough conversations and family-based treatment. łÉČËÖ±˛Ą credit is available and a student rate is available as well.Ěý

For those who need help, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline number is 1-800-273-TALK. A full list of resources available at UofL is .Ěý

.Ěý

The program, called QPR, which stands for “Question, Persuade, Refer” trains people to react to warnings of suicide with the same kind of step-by-step, quick-action, life-saving procedure as CPR.

“This helps a person know how to react when someone they know is exhibiting signs of suicide,” said Tracie Meyer, Coordinator of , UofL’s suicide prevention program.

Cards Speak offered the training in collaboration with The Louisville Health Advisory Board (LHAB) Behavioral Health Committee and the Kentucky State Zero Suicide Grant program.

“The LHAB has set a Bold Goal of providing QPR training to 10,000 Jefferson County residents during, which is September 9-15,” Meyer said. “We are in the beginning stages of planning these events, and this was one of them. We have QPR trainers traveling throughout Kentucky, Ohio, Indiana and Tennessee to help us reach our goal.”

The training encourages people to listen and watch for suicide warning signs. It provides dialogue to help ascertain if a person needs professional assistance and if so, guide them to it.

Sara Choate, interim program manager at Health Promotion, a division of Campus Health Services, said the training is important now more than ever, as a  released this summer by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention revealed that suicide rates rose in all but one state between 1999 and 2016, with increases seen across age, gender, race and ethnicity.

, nearly 45,000 suicides occurred in the U.S. in 2016 — more than twice the number of homicides — making it the 10th-leading cause of death.

Of particular concern Choate said, is that suicide is the second-leading cause of death for ages 15 to 34, which is the typical age range of UofL’s student population.

“Our mission at health promotion at UofL is to offer services, resources and programs for students that address how they can embolden their well-being and resilience in their personal and academic lives,” she said. “Our students are in this high risk age group. So, it’s our responsibility in the health promotion field, especially on campus, to talk about creating opportunities to improve social connectedness, which is one of the main protective factors.”  

Meyer said that there are a number of others on campus who have already received QPR Training, especially in Campus Housing and in the Dean of Students Office. All first-year medical students undergo the training, too.

There will be additional free, 90-minute QPR Suicide Prevention Training sessions offered throughout Louisville Sept 9-15. .

for ways to help if you know someone who is exhibiting signs of suicide.

Game day marks the last day in Suicide Prevention Week and and , campus organizations with the mission of suicide prevention, have collaborated on a video that gives people resources they can turn to in a crisis. The video, which features students from Clemson and UofL, will be shown on the Jumbo Tron during half time of the game.

The video encourages viewers to put in their phones the phone number (1-800-273-TALK) or text the  (text HOME to 741741).

“With the right tools and training found at both schools, all students will be equipped to seek help for themselves and be able to assist others in crisis,” said UofL Student Government Association president Vishnu Tirumala.

Tracie Meyer, Cards Speak Coordinator, said the message is important as national research shows that one in 10 college students contemplate suicide at some point.

“That’s a whole range of actions and emotions,” Meyer said. “The hope is that the other nine out of 10 students can support that one student in getting the help they need.”

Michelle Jones, a mechanical engineering student at UofL’s Speed School of Engineering, knows how important the message is. She lost her brother to suicide last year. Since then, she and her family have committed themselves to honoring his memory through awareness with and .Ěý

“I think it’s incredibly important to get students on college campuses comfortable talking about their emotional well-being,” she said.Ěý

Jones, who works with Cards Speak, said she’s grateful for the opportunity to reach so many thousands of people on Saturday.

“The only way we can get through this, to really make a breakthrough and make a lasting difference, is to work together as a community,” she said.Ěý

Clemson and UofL are both recipients of the , which helps fund their work.

to watch a story by WHAS11 about the collaboration.

Cards Speak also worked this week with the School of Public Health and Information Sciences to screen the movie on campus. The movie, which is based on the true story of Holden Layfield, a 17-year-old boy who fights to keep his mental illness a secret, was followed by a panel discussion with director Tamlin Hall, actor Matthew Fahey and educator Morgan Melton.Ěý  

“Throughout the day, the UofL community around the world will have the opportunity to fund several noteworthy projects and have a real, immediate impact on UofL,” said Will Holley, director of Annual Giving. “In our inaugural year last year, we raised over $73,000 for student scholarships. This year, we’ve joined forces with 22 campus partners and are raising funds for several scholarships, programs and technical enhancements. Our goal is entirely about participation and helping meaningful projects.”

Below are three of many options you can give to:  

Student Affairs – Three projects that will immediately assist students are the Student Activity Center Expansion, the Bornwasser Student Emergency Fund, and the Cards SPEAK program. The renovation will enhance services and spaces for our university community, the emergency fund assists students who encounter unforeseen financial emergency, and Cards SPEAK provides suicide training and awareness to students, faculty and staff.

Scholarships –  Through a multitude of scholarship designations, you can choose to support a staple scholarship program, or choose to support a scholarship fund that provides assistance in your geographic locations. Support the Henry Vogt Scholarship Program, which helps recruit Kentucky’s best and brightest students to UofL, the Cardinal Covenant Program which makes college attainable for those below poverty line, or one of many regional scholarships maintained by our UofL Alumni chapters and councils.

Stethoscopes for Students – The School of Medicine hopes to activate donors to make a direct impact on incoming medical students’ experience. Donors’ gifts will help provide a new stethoscope for each incoming medical student to be awarded at the student’s White Coat Ceremony.

The UofL Alumni Association will be live-streaming updates all day via social media. View all campus projects and share your own online at UofLDayofGiving.com.  

Cards SPEAK (Suicide Prevention, łÉČËÖ±˛Ą, Awareness, and Knowledge) works to provide training, awareness campaigns, information and resources to the UofL community to reduce stigma and to promote a community of caring individuals capable of assisting students in crisis.

The initiative is a collaboration among the Dean of Students Office, Campus Health Services, Counseling Center and Campus Housing, among others, and is funded in part by a $297,000 grant from the Department of Health and Human Services Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.  

“Launching the Cards SPEAK program during National Suicide Prevention Week is a way to build awareness at UofL,” said Cards SPEAK Coordinator Tracie Meyer. “As a community we can learn how to take a threat of suicide seriously and get help for the person in crisis.”

As part of the program, Hakeem Rahim, certified National Alliance of Mental Illness speaker and advocate, will speak at 6:30 p.m. Sept. 7 in Middleton Auditorium in Strickler Hall for the #IAMACCEPTANCE campaign.

In 2012, Rahim began speaking about his journey with mental illness. Since then he’s been featured in USA Today, Newsday and has shared his story with more than 10,000 college, high school and middle school students.ĚýHe will speak about how to overcome the struggles of mental illness including how to talk about what you’re going through, not to feel shame in seeking help, and to know there is hope for those diagnosed with mental illness.

The other Cards SPEAK Week events will consist of seminars and informative programs aimed at recognizing the warning signs of someone at risk and how at-risk students can reach out for help.

“Many of us may not think we have the skills to assist someone in crisis,” Meyer said. “However, offering hope, listening intently and knowing resources to access often save a life.”

Here’s the full schedule:

• Tuesday, Sept. 6, 1 p.m., “College Students at Risk for Suicide: What You Can Do to Help,” Faculty/staff lecture, Shumaker Research Building, Room 139 

• Wednesday, Sept. 7, 6:30 p.m., “#IAMACCEPTANCE Campaign,” Strickler Hall, Middleton Auditorium, Room 101

• Thursday, Sept. 8, noon, “Lift Up Fair,” Red Barn

• Friday, Sept. 9, 11:30 a.m., “Cards SPEAK Launch,” Kornhauser Health Sciences Library