This toolkit helps service providers for the aging learn more about alcohol and medication misuse and mental illness among older adults. It provides tools such as a program coordinator’s guide, suggested curricula, and handouts, including screening tools to help identify problematic alcohol use and depression in older adults.

Developed for institutions of higher education, this guide incorporates lessons learned from recent incidents and recommendations from experts in the field to provide guidance for emergency planners revising and updating existing emergency operations plans. This resources was jointly developed by the U.S. Departments of Homeland Security, Justice, Education, and Health and Human Services.

This tip sheet discusses the mental health effects of drought on rural populations, how to recognize stress and depression, and suicide warning signs.

This iOS and Android app can be used to find nearby meetings of Alcoholics Anonymous, a peer support organization offering meetings across the country and around the world to help people who have a current or past problem with drinking. Meetings may help people with alcoholism or people in recovery from alcoholism to cope with distress in many situations, including after a disaster.

The 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, available by simply dialing 988, is a 24-hour, toll-free, confidential suicide prevention helpline available to anyone in suicidal crisis or emotional distress. When someone calls the helpline, his or her call is routed to the nearest crisis center. The Lifeline’s national network, consisting of more than 250 local crisis centers, provides crisis counseling and mental health referrals day and night.

This webpage provides information for people who are traveling out of the United States to support individuals and communities, including those that have been affected by disasters. It suggests steps for humanitarian aid workers to take before, during, and after travel to protect their physical and behavioral health.

Veterans and their loved ones can reach the Veterans Crisis Line for free, confidential support even if they are not registered with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) or enrolled in VA health care. The VA is partnering with SAMHSA to operate the national helpline.

HHS is the U.S. Government’s principal agency for protecting the health of all Americans and providing essential human services, especially for those who are least able to help themselves.

The Department of Homeland Security website for first responders provides a portal that allows Federal, State, local, and tribal first responders to easily access and leverage Federal web services; information on resources, products, standards, testing, and evaluation; and best practices in a collaborative environment.

This fact sheet provides an overview of how tornadoes may affect children and families. It then explains the reactions children may have after a tornado and what teachers can do to help them recover from such events. Also included are coping tips for teachers, as they probably also survived the tornado their students experienced.

This fact sheet for healthcare practitioners contains information relevant after a terrorist incident. It includes self-care tips, pointers for assisting others, and challenges associated with behavioral healthcare work following a terrorist attack.

The C-SSRS is a short questionnaire that can be administered quickly in the field by responders with no formal mental health training, and it is relevant in a wide range of settings and for individuals of all ages. The website provides information about the C-SSRS, also known as the Columbia Protocol, including the history of its development and how it can be used.

This web page discusses normal reactions to a disaster or traumatic event and steps that can be taken to cope and recover.

This website provides links to information on suicide prevention that is tailored for specific settings, such as the workplace, faith communities, schools, colleges and universities, and foster care. Each link goes to a page offering guidance and resources for a specific setting.

This document reports on the findings of a project to understand issues in mental and substance use disorder services in rural areas. It covers barriers to mental health and substance use disorder service delivery, model programs and policy strategies, and the roles of telehealth and state and local organizations in service delivery in rural communities.

This report describes a study to identify promising practices for rural mental health and substance use-related programs across the United States. The report explains the importance of promising practices, defines and describes promising practices, and presents in Appendix C the programs included in the study.

Compatible with iPhone, iPad, and Android and BlackBerry devices, this app is designed to support responders in meeting the mental health and substance use-related (behavioral health) needs of disaster-affected communities. It can be used to access preparedness and response information and to find local behavioral health services for referrals.

The Disaster Distress Helpline is the nation’s first helpline dedicated to providing disaster crisis counseling. The toll-free helpline operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. This free, confidential, and multilingual crisis support service is available via telephone or text message (1–800–985–5990) to U.S. residents who are experiencing psychological distress as a result of a natural or human-caused disaster.

This tip card includes possible reactions, emotions, and conditions that can lead to suicidal thoughts and behavior. It includes information on warning signs that may indicate that a soldier is suicidal and factors that raise the risk of the individual’s becoming suicidal.

The Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Block Grant provides funds and technical assistance to all 50 states, as well as a wide range of U.S. territories and a tribal entity. Grantees use the funds to plan, implement, and evaluate activities that prevent and treat substance use and promote public health. Although the program is noncompetitive, it runs on a 1-year term, and eligible entities must submit an application annually.

This half-day training teaches individuals ages 15 years and older steps to identify people with suicidal thoughts and connect them to resources for help and support.

The Suicide Prevention Resource Center offers technical assistance, training, and materials to increase the knowledge and expertise of suicide prevention practitioners and other professionals serving people at risk for suicide. Resources include information on school-based prevention programs, a best practices registry, and state information.

The PTSD Coach app can be used by individuals who believe they may be suffering from posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), as well as their families. It provides users with resources they can trust, including PTSD treatments that work. Features also include tools for tracking symptoms, tools for handling stress, and direct links to support and help.

This tip sheet offers parents guidance on helping their children after a tornado. It describes how tornadoes often affect families and children, common reactions children may have, and how parents can help their children. The tip sheet also provides tips for parents after a tornado.

This study investigated experiences of people in a treatment program for dependence on opioids (e.g., heroin, Vicodin, OxyContin) in New York City around the time of Hurricane Sandy. Findings highlight how programs and individuals can and do adapt during hurricanes and other disasters to ensure ongoing management of addictions.