In the same way we have taken actions to reduce the physical risk of COVID-19 transmission, we can also take actions to mitigate behavioral health risks that have resulted from the pandemic by implementing evidence-based practices and policies and by advancing a national conversation about mental health and suicide prevention. The National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention’s (Action Alliance) Mental Health & Suicide Prevention National Response to COVID-19 (National Response) was created to identify those practices and policies.
The initiative recently released An Action Plan for Strengthening Mental Health and the Prevention of Suicide in the Aftermath of COVID-19 (Action Plan) for those who have the opportunity to create change and implement lasting solutions—such as federal and state policymakers, government agencies and non-profit organizations, health care accreditation organizations, professional associations, health care providers, public and private payers, and others.
View an infographic about the Action Plan here and watch a short video below.
Former U.S. Rep. Patrick J. Kennedy, founder of The Kennedy Forum, serves as co-chair of the National Response, alongside Dr. Joshua Gordon, director of the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH).
Learn more at NationalMentalHealthResponse.org.
