• 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.”

Earlier this week, Beshear specifically thanked the healthcare workers from UofL Health. In a video message below, he said, “I’ve got a real simple message: Thank you, thank you, thank you and thank you. We are grateful … for your compassion, your resiliency and the fact that you show up to work every single day,” he said.

He added that he will continue to do everything he can to get people vaccinated, to make sure people are wearing masks and “are doing the right thing.”  

Currently, of Kentucky’s population has been fully vaccinated.Ěý 

UofL Health includes more than 12,000 team members, five hospitals, four medical centers, nearly 200 physician practice locations, more than 700 providers and the Frazier Rehab Institute and Brown Cancer Center.

In addition, these data will be informative as scientists worldwide are working to determine whether quantitative antibody measurements can be used to predict immunity in the overall workforce. This program represents a unique alliance between government and otherwise competing private groups in order to address an unprecedented crisis.

Testing will begin with high-risk personnel in Kentucky, starting with the health care workforce. As the process is scaled up it will be made available to other essential workers. There will be three steps of testing:

• First, a point-of-care test will provide a yes or no answer on the presence of antibodies.
• In a second step, positive blood will then be assayed for the amount of antibodies present in the blood.
• Finally, in patients with high amounts, the neutralizing power of the antibodies will be evaluated.

The University of Louisville Center for Predictive Medicine for Biodefense and Emerging Infectious Diseases (CPM), has established a high-throughput, real-time assay for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies that will be utilized and CPM will use their renowned Bio Safety Level 3 facility to test for the neutralizing activity of the antibodies.

“The University of Louisville is committed to addressing all forms of health,” said Neeli Bendapudi, President of the University of Louisville. “We are uniquely positioned to play a key role in this effort because of our talented researchers at CPM and our UofL Regional Biocontainment Laboratory, which allows us to establish the very best donors of plasma for patients.”

This unprecedented collaboration of the public and private sector has already secured private donations of $1.75 million in the form of a challenge grant to build community-wide coalition of philanthropic support, which will allow the program to scale more quickly and save more lives. ( for more details on how you can help).

“America and Louisville need more and advanced COVID-19 testing now. I am excited about this ambitious project and its potential to provide useful data for the recovery of our community. Louisville’s team of cutting-edge scientists represents the best of who we are as Louisvillians – compassionate, smart and entrepreneurial,” said Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer.

“This is exactly the kind of collaboration that Kentucky is poised to enable,” said Dr. Cedric Francois, CEO of Apellis Pharmaceuticals and LHCC board member. “We have the infrastructure in our commonwealth to quickly bring this revolutionary technology together by leveraging the great work already being done with the health care stakeholders, such as Norton Healthcare’s convalescent plasma program, and the extensive work that had already been done to start their antibody serology testing to improve Kentucky’s response and recovery to the COVID-19 pandemic and be a model for the rest of the nation.”

“This model for testing is exciting and it is our hope that antibody measurements can be used to predict immunity,” said Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear. “If so, it will be a critical tool in the reopening of Kentucky’s economy.”