BHAT to Plan Suicide Prevention Panel

Members of the Behavioral Health Action Team, supported by MedStar St. Mary’s Hospital, will meet April 25, 2017, from 11 am to noon to begin working on plans for an upcoming Suicide Prevention Panel event.

The meeting will be held at the Lexington Park Library at 21677 FDR Blvd. in Lexington Park, and is being held in place of the regular April meeting of the action team.

Suicide is the third leading cause of death among teens between 15 and 19 years old in Maryland. One of the objectives of the Behavioral Health Action Team (BHAT) is to reduce the percentage of high school students who are seriously considering a suicide attempt. Another objective is directing people with mental health problems to the proper care, rather than having people in crisis use emergency departments for their primary source of care. Lastly, BHAT works to address drug abuse by adolescents, which is a persistent challenge in St. Mary’s County.

BHAT has found that mental health and physical health are closely linked. When people suffer depression and anxiety, it may affect their ability to participate in activities that promote better health. Also, chronic physical illness can impact mental health, which can decrease a person’s ability to participate in their own treatment and recovery. BHAT hopes to address all of this by bringing together a variety of organizations and individuals to collaborate on evidence-based strategies for improving behavioral health for all of St. Mary’s County.

New members are always welcome to join. To be notified of upcoming events and meetings, sign up for membership in the Health St. Mary’s Partnership. You can indicate “Behavioral Health” as your interest to get specific notifications about BHAT.

Please RSVP if you would like to attend the April 25 meeting; email [email protected].

For more information and one-click access to a full list of resources available at MedStar St. Mary’s Hospital, visit its Leader Page.