And the Emmy Goes To…

We are proud to announce that the Lehigh Valley Health Network (LVHN)-sponsored Give Me Shelter: Suicide video recently received the regional Emmy award in the Societal Concerns long form category from the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS)–Mid-Atlantic Chapter. The video was produced by eMediaWorks, an award-winning educational media company in the Lehigh Valley, with Air Products and Olympus serving as co-sponsors. Executive producer Teri Haddad, EdD, and producer/editor Matthew Lewis, both with eMediaWorks, accepted the Emmy.

Give Me Shelter: Suicide was designed to promote awareness about complex issues related to suicide and to highlight the important work carried out by LVHN and the National Alliance on Mental Health (NAMI) Lehigh Valley in suicide prevention. The program features stories from families who have lost loved ones by suicide, and expertise from extraordinary health care professionals.

Our congratulations to the LVHN professionals featured in the video for their expert insight into this very important issue affecting so many in our world today. They include Edward Norris, MD, Chair, Department of Psychiatry; Jamilah Davis Tindell, CRNP, psychiatric nurse practitioner; and Zeeshan Javid, MD, Medical Director, Partial Hospital Programs.

You also can view Give Me Shelter: Suicide and the Emmy Awards acceptance speech here.

If you know someone in emotional pain, LVHN mental health experts encourage you to follow this five-step action plan.

1. Ask the person how they are doing.
2. Keep them safe. Reduce their access to lethal items.
3. Be present for the person struggling. Talking about suicide is okay.
4. Connect them with a professional, whether it be a primary care physician, mental health worker or psychiatrist.
5. Stay in contact and support the person after a crisis.

National Suicide & Crisis Lifeline – Dial or SMS 988