HAMBURG, NY — On Tuesday, New York Governor Kathy Hochul announced an initiative that gives teachers resources and access to a free online toolkit to talk to students on five key topics -- suicide prevention, stress and anxiety, self-harm, adverse childhood experiences, and social media.
70,000 educators can now access videos and learning resources to help their students better.
Hamburg Central School District (HCSD) has been implementing a similar program called the Youth Mental Health First Aid Initiative, where all of the teachers in the district get better informed.
HCSD Superintendent Michael Cornell tells 7 News the program is helping better equip teachers to be a caring resource for students.
“We are not training our teachers, teacher aides, or bus drivers to be mental health counselors. But we're helping them understand how they can be a first aider, in the same way, that somebody who comes across somebody who's bleeding is not going. To stitch them up. But they're going to do what they can to stop the bleeding and make sure that they're safe,”
Daniel Colpoys, the Executive Director of the Mental Health Association in Niagara County, says that state and local officials offering resources and funding for students' mental health is a big step forward in the right direction.
"Parents now need to understand that it is real. Some of the smartest, most physically beautiful, financially successful people I know have a mental health diagnosis. So you know if the child comes to you and says they're having issues or if you notice they're having issues. Acknowledge it. Support it. Many resources that weren't available when we were in schools are available now."
Local mental health resources:
