Suicide Prevention - Looking Deeper

According to the Jason Foundation, four out of five teens display warning signs before they attempt suicide. In most cases, however, the seeds of trauma that brought them to that place were planted much earlier. Shawna Burns, licensed professional counselor and founder of Seed Digging Wellness Center, shares personal stories and case studies that show the connections between those seeds, student behaviors, and the innate needs within all of us. Burns discusses the importance of recognizing suicide warning signs, being aware of risk factors, and having a plan for prevention. She also shares classroom strategies for creating a safe and secure environment for students that speaks to the innate needs that are so often at the root of suicide.

This course meets the suicide awareness and prevention components of ACA 6-17-708.

Sudden Cardiac Arrest: When Seconds Count

Most student athletes are the picture of good health, but any seemingly healthy student could suffer from sudden cardiac arrest and when they do, seconds count. The good news is that with timely intervention sudden cardiac arrest is highly survivable. In Sudden Cardiac Arrest: When Seconds Count, Dr. Don Steely and athletic trainers Jason Cates, Keith Shireman, and T.J. White share their experience and expertise on sudden cardiac arrest. Learn what you can do to prevent sudden cardiac arrest, what the warning signs look like, how to respond to them, and how you can help a student in cardiac arrest survive.

This course includes additional videos as resources in the course materials section. Although these videos are not required to complete the course, they provide the opportunity to develop a deeper understanding of cardiac arrest. The video resources feature reenacted emergency scenarios.

In 2019, Sudden Cardiac Arrest: When Seconds Count received a Bronze Telly Award for Non-Broadcast General Sports.

This course meets the sudden cardiac arrest training requirements for coaches as set forth in ACA 6-18-708 and in support of ACA 6-18-713.

Preventing the Spread of Communicable Diseases: Sports Medicine for Coaches

Communicable Diseases: A Course for Arkansas Coaches (Updated 2019)

Every day, athletes throughout Arkansas are training for victory. They are practicing hard, strengthening their muscles, eating right, drinking plenty of water, and getting plenty of rest. They know that to be successful, they have to be in excellent physical condition.

But there is another health issue that coaches and athletes need to be aware of - the risk of communicable diseases. Contracting a communicable disease can sideline an athlete before he or she even takes the field. This course will help coaches, staff, and student-athletes take the proper steps to avoid infection. Throughout this course, we will be looking at some of the communicable diseases that affect young athletes. We will look at their causes, how they spread, how they are treated, and how they can be prevented.

This course meets the communicable disease prevention training requirements for coaches as set forth in ACA 6-18-708.

Mind Movement: Move the Body, Expand the Mind

Everybody, out of your seats! Movement isn’t just for physical education class. New research tells us that if we want our kids to learn and achieve, no matter the age level or subject area, we will get them out of their chairs to move their bodies—and their minds. This physical education course produced by ArkansasIDEAS and the Arkansas Department of Education identifies the problems with a sedentary learning method, teaches the science behind the mind/body connection as it relates to physical activity, and explains how educators can be part of the solution for healthier, happier students. You will learn how physical activity can be integral to classroom learning and just how serious the problem of physical inactivity is for our students here in Arkansas. Judy LoBianco joins us all the way from New Jersey to provide insight from her background as a national health and physical education expert.

Tackling Heat Illness

Credit Hours: 1

Vendor: IDEAS

Arkansas summers are hot, and according to the National Weather Service, the days are likely to become hotter. Consequently, exertional heat illnesses are a valid concern for coaches, trainers, parents, and students who participate in summer activities such as practices and competitions. The most severe exertional heat illness is exertional heat stroke which is 100 percent survivable with proper and quick response. This course will discuss the dangers of heat, the proper methods of prevention, and most importantly, how to recognize and treat exertional heat illnesses should they occur. 

Hunter Midkiff, a junior at Piggot High School, died on August 15, 2020, as a result of exertional heatstroke. You will hear his story and how his death has impacted those who knew and loved him. 

Our host, Krista Bradley, and our expert, Dr. Michael Israel, Pediatric Sports Medicine for Arkansas Children's Hospital and UAMS, discuss ways to recognize and treat exertional heat illnesses as well as ways to prevent them altogether. He also shares the effect that heat has on the body, the proper way to measure the heat, and the steps to take that can save a life.

Dealing with Death: Crisis Communication

There are many different types of school crises that occur and being prepared is essential in order to provide appropriate support in the event of a traumatic school or community event, especially one that involves the death of students, faculty, or staff members. It is important to be ready beforehand, with a crisis response team and action plan in place. Inspired by When Death Impacts Your School: A Guide for School Administrators, a 2007 publication from The Dougy Center: The National Grief Center for Children and Families, ArkansasIDEAS brings you Dealing with Death: Crisis Communication, the first episode in a two-part podcast series exploring the importance of a crisis response team, the respective roles and tasks of team members, and what should be included within the team’s action plan.

This course features a podcast-style production hosted by Christina Muñoz and featuring both scenarios and interview segments. Experts interviewed include Andrea Fortner, Guidance and Counseling Coordinator for the Division of Elementary and Secondary Education; Dr. Marisha DiCarlo, Vice President of Community Engagement, Advocacy, and Health for Arkansas Children's Hospital; and Greg Adams, Program Coordinator for Arkansas Children’s Hospital’s Center for Good Mourning. Course takers may choose to experience the podcast via video or audio-only options.

This course meets the mental health awareness components of ACA 6-17-708.

Grief and Loss: School Community Support

In Arkansas, one in eleven children will experience the death of a close family member before the age of eighteen. Additionally, there are many types of school and community crises that could occur involving the death of a student or staff member. It is important to be prepared to provide support for students and staff through the pain and grief of such losses. Inspired by the 2007 publication, When Death Impacts Your School: A Guide for School Administrators by the Dougy Center: The National Grief Center for Children and Families and featuring a segment highlighting key points from the book’s chapter, “The Six Principles of Grief,” ArkansasIDEAS brings you Grief and Loss: School Community Support. This is the second episode in a two-part podcast series that explores how to distinguish between grief and mourning, the factors that influence grief responses, and how to identify and support grieving students and staff members.

This course features a podcast-style production hosted by Christina Muñoz. Experts interviewed include Greg Adams, Program Coordinator for Arkansas Children’s Hospital’s Center for Good Mourning; Dr. Sufna John, Licensed Psychologist and Associate Professor of the Department of Psychiatry at UAMS; Andrea Fortner, Guidance and Counseling Coordinator for the Division of Elementary and Secondary Education; and Rodney Ford, Program Advisor for the Guidance and Counseling Office at the Division of Elementary and Secondary Education. Course takers may choose to experience the podcast via video or audio-only options. 

This course meets the mental health awareness components of ACA 6-17-708.

NOTE: The content of this course overtly deals with potentially distressing topics, including death and human loss, illness, violence, and trauma.

Speak Up, Speak Out: Teen Suicide Awareness & Prevention

PLEASE BE ADVISED: This course contains sensitive and potentially distressing information including death and loss. 

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention-Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System (WISQARS), in 2021 Arkansas lost 24 teens to suicide. Since 2000, suicide has been the second leading cause of death for Arkansans 13-19 years of age.  In this course, we will share the stories of two teens who died by suicide in 2021, and we will witness the effects those deaths had on families, peers, and communities. 

Recognizing warning signs and risk factors can help prevent deaths by suicide. Ms. Shawna Burns discusses with our host, Chris Kane, what we should look for and ways to approach someone who may be having suicidal ideations. Mr. Greg Adams shares statistics and the preferred terminology to use when discussing death by suicide. Then we learn from Travis Barrentine, the principal of Greenbrier High School, who shares about a time when his own school faced a student's death by suicide. Mr. Barrentine discusses the steps the school, the students, and the community took and how they came together to make changes for others who may need help. Finally, we hear from Dr. Tricia Benish, the psychologist from Greenbrier High School at the time of the student's death by suicide, who provides us with resources and ideas that teachers and schools can use to help other people who are struggling. 

Keeping Them in Play

Arkansas coaches and trainers have a profound impact on student athletes, and they have the privilege to coach and impact the lives of our student athletes. The responsibility to care for and look after the safety of students is one that should not be taken lightly. This course will serve to educate and instruct coaches and trainers on the best practices of caring for players’ safety. This course will provide guidance and instruction in the areas of communicable diseases, heat illnesses, concussions and head injuries, and sudden cardiac arrests.  In previous years, the courses for coaches were given at different times, but this course will combine all four areas for a more succinct approach to providing Arkansas coaches with the information necessary to better serve student athletes. 

This course meets the training requirements for coaches as set forth in ACA 6-18-708 and in support of ACA 6-18-710 and 6-18-713.