Message from BBS: Letter Addressing Mental Health and Strategic Plan for Suicide Prevention 2020-2025

Message from the Board of Behavioral Sciences:

The California Departments of Health Care Services (DHCS) and Public Health (CDPH) and the Office of the California Surgeon General (OSG) are reaching out due to the ongoing concerns of the coronavirus (COVID-19) epidemic and the immediate and long-term impacts on the mental health of California’s residents.

As a mental health professional you are aware that social isolation, financial insecurity, and unemployment all drive increases in deaths from suicide, overdose, and illness, disproportionately impacting communities of color. This letter is an effort to inform all health care providers of the impact and to provide them the tools and resources to address mental health concerns and suicide prevention with their patients.

The letter also includes important information and guides for self-care, including COVID-19 counseling for health care workers.

Please take the opportunity to review the letter (https://www.dhcs.ca.gov/Documents/COVID-19/Health-Care-Provider-Suicide-Prevention-6-29-20.pdf) to learn what is being shared with California health care providers.

We are also including the following link to learn more about suicide prevention efforts in California.

California’s Strategic Plan for Suicide Prevention 2020-2025. — https://mhsoac.ca.gov/sites/default/files/Suicide%20Prevention%20Plan_Final.pdf