Suicide Awareness Week at University of Idaho is this week from Sept.10 to Sept. 16. UI will hold events to help raise awareness for suicide prevention and promote the ideas of, “Hope, Health and Strength,” “We Got Your Back,” and “Vandals Helping Vandals.”
On Sept. 11, there is a QPR Suicide Prevention Training from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. QPR stands for question, persuade, refer, and is a one-hour training to help employees and students identify and respond to someone who may be in a mental health crisis and thinking about suicide. This training will be held via Zoom and registration online is required.
On Sept. 13, there are substance use screenings where personalized feedback related to substance usage can be given. The event will happen in the ISUB Upper Canvas Area Hallway from 11:15 a.m. to 2:30 pm.
On Sept. 14, there is a Wellbeing Ambassador Info Session for students interested in becoming a Wellbeing Ambassador. The Wellbeing Ambassadors wish to increase mental health at UI by building a community of hope, help, and strength on campus. Registration online is required for the info session.
On Sept. 16, the annual Connecting U & I 5K for suicide awareness will begin at 10 a.m. at the Student Rec Center. Participants have a choice of running or walking a 5K or 2K route with no registration fee. Pre-registration is available online until Sept. 15 at noon, and daythe day of registration will be available until 9:45 a.m. Race volunteers are also encouraged to sign-up online.
Throughout the year, faculty, staff, and students can sign up for QPR Suicide Prevention training, and Mental Health First Aid certification programs. Information for these courses can be found on Vandal Health Education.
If you, or someone you know, need urgent help, dial 988 for the national suicide hotline. Help is also available from the Moscow Idaho Regional Behavior Health Crisis line at (208) 883-1045. For non-urgent mental health help, appointments at UI’s Counseling and Mental Health Center can be scheduled online or by phone.
Georgia Swanson can be reached at [email protected]