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Training in Suicide Risk Assessment “Assessing and Managing Suicide Risk” is one of the most well-attended courses offered by the Suicide Prevention Resource Center at EDC, says director Jerry Reed. Mental health providers and health care professionals are eager for more training in suicide prevention and this course improves the knowledge, confidence, and competence of clinicians. Learn more about this course and others provided by the Training Institute at the Suicide Prevention Resource Center.
Building Up Small Businesses Hewlett-Packard (HP) turned to EDC’s Health and Human Development office in Asia to provide support to small owner-run businesses, the backbone of the economy in the region. Designated by HP as a Center of Excellence, our Asia office manages 48 micro-enterprise development centers throughout Asia-Pacific that offer courses in business and technology to build the skills of entrepreneurs and youth in poor communities.
HIV Prevention On The Move In areas of South Africa where HIV is prevalent, teenagers typically have a fatalistic attitude, according to EDC’s Anne Wang. She is part of a team that created a health and computer education curriculum for Mpilonhle, a South African NGO (non-governmental organization). The curriculum is used in their mobile units that travel to remote high schools providing students with information, skills, and a reason to live. Read more about this project.
Improving Student Mental Health If a school’s mission is to have all children learn, then improving student mental health must be a priority, says Jack Campana, a senior research scientist at EDC. When these barriers to learning are attended to, schools can improve attendance and academic achievement, and reduce violence. Jack works with the Safe Schools Healthy Students Initiative to promote the mental health of students and prevent youth violence.
Primary Care Providers: Preventing Suicide Primary care providers can help detect patients who may be at risk of suicide. As the director of the Suicide Prevention Resource Center at EDC, Jerry Reed leads a team who provide critical prevention resources, training, and support to health care providers, mental health practitioners and other professionals that work in government agencies, private organizations, colleges and universities, and suicide survivor and mental health consumer groups. For more information visit the Suicide Prevention Resource Center website.
Town by Town: Reducing Teen Substance Use The prevalence of drinking among youth nationally is close 43%; in Massachusetts it is 48 percent. Addressing adolescent substance use is a priority in Boston’s MetroWest region. Backed by generous grants from the MetroWest Community Health Care Foundation and technical assistance from EDC’s Health and Human Development Division, eleven towns in the Metrowest area have spearheaded local efforts to improve prevention, intervention and access to treatment for teens. Read about the Parents Check-In Campaign.
Preventing Suicide Among Older Adults In the U.S., adults 65 years and older have the highest rates of suicide among any other age group, according to Jerry Reed, Director of EDC's Center for the Study and Prevention of Injury, Violence, and Suicide and Director of the Suicide Prevention Resource Center. EDC is partnering to develop a Suicide Prevention Assessment and Resource Kit (SPARK) to help staff of residential facilities for older adults recognize the warning signs of suicide and create a healthier environment for residents.
HIV and AIDS: Reducing the Stigma EDC's Health and Humand Development division is working with educators in the Caribbean to address HIV and AIDS, and combat the stigma faced by people living with this disease. Visit the EduCan website to find out more about this important work.

Audio

Preventing Suicides on Campus To reduce the rate of suicide among college and university students, EDC’s Laurie Davidson works with the Suicide Prevention Resource Center (SPRC) assisting campuses to develop mental health promotion and suicide prevention strategies. Learn more about SPRC’s campus suicide prevention efforts and our work with colleges and universities on alcohol, drug abuse and violence prevention.
Evaluating Substance Abuse Prevention Programs EDC’s Kim Dash works with the federal government’s Service to Science Initiative to help local communities evaluate their substance abuse prevention programs. Service to Science bridges homegrown substance abuse prevention efforts—service—with empirical evidence and theory—science—to shape the development of effective programs. Read more about the Service to Science Initiative.
Community Voices for HIV Prevention The HIV and STD interventions created by HHD’s lead researcher, Lydia O’Donnell, are grounded in science and developed with much community input. The successful VOICES/VOCES HIV prevention program used a formative research and a community development process to create the English and Spanish-speaking videos that are a key component of this widely disseminated intervention. Read more about VOICES/VOCES and HHD’s extensive research capacity.
Link Between Health and Learning Research shows a clear link between health and social and economic factors, like education and income. Nowhere is this more evident than in schools, according to Cheryl Vince Whitman, director of EDC's Health and Human Development division (HHD). Learn more about how HHD promotes mental health through the National Center for Mental Health Promotion and Youth Violence Prevention as well as with the International Alliance for Child and Adolescent Mental Health and Schools (Intercamhs).
Adolescent Health Survey Results New results of an adolescent health survey, carried out by EDC's Shari Kessel Schneider, reveal trends in substance use and bullying. Given to 32,000 teens in the MetroWest region of Boston Massachusetts, this is one of the largest of surveys of its kind. Learn more about this project or read the results of the survey: high school report or middle school report.
Interventions using Multimedia EDC’s Lydia O’Donnell develops interventions based on research that incorporate multimedia to model healthy behaviors. Saving Sex for Later, a parent education program, includes a set of audio CDs that use dramatic vignettes to illustrate ways mothers and fathers of early adolescents can help their children make healthy choices through puberty. Read more about Saving Sex for Later or how HHD uses technology to promote healthy human development.
Meet Deborah Haber As a former biology teacher, Deb Haber understands the importance of addressing students’ mental health needs in order for them to learn. She is the director of the National Center for Mental Health Promotion and Youth Violence Prevention, operated by EDC and funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
Eyes on Bullying Why does bullying occur? What is cyberbullying? Dr. Ron Slaby, an expert on youth violence prevention with EDC's National Center for Mental Health Promotion and Youth Violence Prevention, talks about the roots of bullying and the recent emergence of cyberbullying in a three-part teleconference. To hear the full teleconference or for more information about how to prevent bullying, visit the Eyes on Bullying website.
Addressing Alcohol on Campus What is an effective way to address alcohol and other health issues on college campuses? Cheryl Vince Whitman, director of EDC's Health and Human Development division, talks about our approach. To learn more about our work with colleges and universities, visit the Higher Education Center for Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse and Violence Prevention website.