988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline and Suicide Prevention Resources (Virginia Department of Education, VDOE)
Description:
988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline - Beginning July 16, 2022, 988 has been designated as the new three-digit dialing code that will route callers to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.
When people call, text, or chat 988, they will be connected to trained counselors that are part of the existing National Suicide Prevention Lifeline network. These trained counselors will listen, understand how their problems are affecting them, provide support, and connect them to resources if necessary.
The current Lifeline phone number (1-800-273-8255) will always remain available to people in emotional distress or suicidal crisis.
Schools can play a key role in suicide prevention. The task of all professionals involved in and dedicated to the education of children is to help prevent death by suicide whenever possible. When school personnel, families, and communities take an active role in suicide prevention lives can be saved.
The Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) has partnered with the Virginia Department of Health (VDH) to raise awareness about the Suicide Prevention Month Educational Campaign in September. In order to extend the reach to families and communities, Virginia educators are asked to explore an electronic toolkit that was developed to house materials related to the campaign. The Recognize. Talk. Act Suicide Prevention Toolkit includes educational materials and print-ready social media communication templates that schools can use. The goal of this partnership is to raise awareness about the warning signs of suicide, how to access help during a crisis, and lethal means restriction.
Overview of Resources Provided on Suicide Prevention Resources Page:
- Suicide Prevention
- Suicide Intervention
- Postvention