September is Suicide Prevention Month, as well as Sepsis Awareness Month. To help physicians and staff educate themselves and patients about suicide and sepsis prevention, the Indiana Hospital Association’s Indiana Patient Safety Center (IPSC) has created toolkits with a variety of resources.

The Suicide Awareness Month Toolkit includes social media posts, printable posters and fact sheets, resources to share with the community, and resources for caregivers and medical professionals. It includes several articles on mental health effects of the pandemic and managing health care workers’ stress:

Telehealth and suicide care during a pandemic: Provides information to help adapt to using telehealth by providing safe and effective suicide care.

Psychological effects of quarantine during a pandemic: This briefing from the Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress outlines the stressors of quarantine and the psychological impact on a population and provides tips for health care providers in supporting these patients.

Managing health care workers’ stress associated with a pandemic: The National Center for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder gives background on traumatic stress and how to support health care workers during a pandemic and beyond.

The IPSC’s Sepsis Awareness Month Toolkit has similar resources, including links to podcasts, webinars and printable education materials on the prevention and clinical treatment of sepsis.