Welcome to Project Safety Net! Project Safety Net is a collaborative community network held together by a common interest of fostering youth well-being in Palo Alto. Our mission is to develop and implement a community-based mental health plan that includes education, prevention and intervention strategies that together provide a “safety net” for youth in Palo Alto, and defines our community’s teen suicide prevention efforts.

Updates and Event Highlights

• Youth Speaks Out Art Program will be featured at our next PSN Community Meeting on March 23rd, 4-6pm at PAUSD Boardroom 
  Please join us at our next PSN Community Meeting to hear from Executive Director Carolyn Digovich who will do a presentation on Youth Speaks Out,  an art program at Palo Alto High School  and Gunn High School supporting student well-being. Check out their flyer for their upcoming exhibit at the Palo Alto Art Center from March 17 through April 12, 2016.  Grand Opening celebration is Friday, March 25, 2016 from 5-7pm.

• Epi-Aid Investigation in Palo Alto Update:
  • The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), and the Santa Clara County of Public Health Department (SCCPHD) have completed the field portion of their visit in Palo Alto which happened between February 16-29, 2016.
  • The CDC/SAMHSA is still collecting information on current youth suicide prevention and wellness programs, activities, and policies. Project Safety Net is facilitating this important opportunity for the community serving our Palo Alto youths to share their work and contribute to the Epi-Aid Investigation. Please click here for guidelines.  We understand that confidentiality and accessibility to these materials may be an issue, so any information you share is appreciated.  Please send your information in any form to PSNPaloAlto@gmail.com or mail directly to Project Safety Net, 4000 Middlefield Rd, Bldg. T2, Palo Alto, CA, 94301 by March 18, 2016. 
  • Project Safety Net, in collaboration with the PAUSD and the City of Palo Alto, will be hosting a youth community meeting and sending out a community survey for additional context to provide to the CDC/SAMHSA.  Dates for both will be announced soon.
  • For the latest updates, please check this website frequently and for general information, please  link to the Epi-Aid Overview, CDC/SAMHSA field visit and Epi-Aid Investigation FAQs. 

• Free QPR (Question Persuade Refer) Suicide Prevention Course – Tuesday, April 19, 2016, 6-8pm. QPR training helps you learn the signs of suicide, and what to do to help prevent this most preventable of deaths. QPR, modeled after CPR training, is an emergency response to someone in crisis. You will learn about myths and facts related to suicide; warning signs of suicide; how to ask the right questions; how to persuade someone in crisis to seek help; and to refer them to resources. Register here. Class will be held at Lucie Stern Community Center, Fireside Room.

• Project Safety Net is excited to announce the appointment of our new executive director Mary Gloner.  Read about an article about Mary via Palo Alto Online.

• Read Gunn High School’s The Oracle on their “Changing the Narrative” series that tells personal stories of strength, hope, healing and growth. Read Paly student and Campanile Lifestyle Editor, Aiva Petriceks’ article “Changing my narrative: discovering the value of counseling.”

• The documentary “Unmasked” created by Gunn and Paly students that explores teen mental health in Palo Alto has been chosen “Audience Choice Winner”  at the Student Filmmaker Awards.

• Learn about Paly and Gunn High School’s peer support program Sources of Strength (SoS) and Paly’s LETS Bring Change 2 Mind, a student-led club initiative that allows all teens the opportunity to learn and explore more about mental health topics in a safe and supportive environment. Contact Jonathan Frecarri to get involved at jfrecceri@pausd.org. Read a past article on SoS from NPR on why it’s an effective peer support program.

• Learn about the City of Palo Alto’s “means restriction” efforts to limit access to the railroad tracks. Research has shown that “means restriction” is an important part of a comprehensive approach to suicide prevention. The safety improvements are being done in conjunction with Caltrain. Safety improvements include fence installation and enhancements, vegetation and brush removal, and the piloting of an intrusion camera detection system.

Featured Resources

• Please visit our new Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) page about teen mental health, our community efforts on teen suicide prevention and fostering youth well-being.  Read PSN Partner Meg Durbin’s guest opinion in the Palo Alto Weekly, “Community embraces responsibility to help our youth.”

• What can parents do right now to decrease the risk of suicide in their children?
  by Adam Strassberg, M.D. (Guest Opinion:  Keep Calm and Parent On)

• How to help someone in crisis
  by Dr. Meg Durbin, Palo Alto Medical Foundation, and Dr. Shashank V. Joshi, Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital at Stanford, on behalf of the executive committee of the HEARD Alliance.

Featured Websites for Teens

	Outlet Outlet is an LGBTQQ Youth organization based in Mountain View, California. As the Peninsula’s only comprehensive LGBTQQ Youth organization, including bilingual Spanish language services, they work with local communities to support and empower LGBTQQ Youth.
	ReachOut.com Reach Out is run by the Inspire USA Foundation.  Inspire’s mission is to help millions of young people lead happier lives.
	ACS Adolescent Counseling Services empowers teens and their families in our community to realize their emotional and social potential through counseling and preventive education.
	The Trevor Project The Trevor Project is the leading National organization providing crisis intervention and suicide prevention services for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning youth.