DH Partners with UCLA + LA County DMH

October 14, 2020

Didi Hirsch partnered with the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health-UCLA Prevention Center of Excellence to produce a three-part video series that provides suicide prevention information and resources for teachers working with students in online learning settings.

The growth of remote learning in response to the COVID-19 pandemic has created new challenges in identifying students at risk of suicide. This “just in time” video series called “Suicide Prevention in a Virtual Classroom” features experts from Didi Hirsch’s Suicide Prevention Center and provides teachers with clear guidelines, talking points and tools for recognizing and responding to warning signs in a virtual environment.

“Teachers have always played a vital role in the emotional development and safety of our youth, including in preventing suicide,” said Didi Hirsch’s CEO, Pediatrician Jonathan Goldfinger, MD, MPH, FAAP in introductory remarks to the series. “Because teachers have close contact with students on a daily basis, teachers may be in a better position than their parents to notice older children or teens at risk of seIf-harm or even taking their own lives.”

These short instructional videos are available for viewing at the Wellbeing4LA Learning Center—LA County’s new online learning platform that supports the mental health and wellbeing of children, families and adults throughout the county. You can view our videos and a whole library of wellness resources at learn.wellbeing4la.org. Once you register, which takes a couple of minutes, put Didi Hirsch in the search box to access our videos.