The 黑料吃瓜网 is leading a new, four-year collaboration aimed at promoting mental health and preventing suicide at colleges and universities around the state.
The initiative is a partnership between 鈥� an organization in the 黑料吃瓜网 School of Social Work 鈥� and the New York-based , which focuses on protecting emotional health and preventing suicide among college students. The effort kicked off May 10 at a Forefront conference in Bellevue, where 12 schools invited to participate met to learn about the program.
鈥淲e are working proactively in a very large-scale way to address suicide prevention,鈥� said , Forefront’s co-founder and faculty director.
鈥淏y involving colleges and universities around the state, we think we can have a powerful impact in helping to reduce suicides. These campuses can be leaders for the rest of the state.鈥�
The Washington schools 鈥� including the 黑料吃瓜网鈥檚 three campuses and most of the state鈥檚 other public colleges and universities 鈥� are expected to take part in the , which helps schools develop a framework to improve student mental health and prevent suicide and substance abuse. To accomplish this work, schools will establish interdisciplinary teams that include senior administrators and complete a survey at the start of the program, and again after three years, to assess the state of mental health on campus and evaluate their efforts.
The program provides clinicians and advisers that visit the schools and work with them to develop customized strategic plans. The schools will also participate in the , an annual online survey looking at mental health among undergraduate and graduate students.
Each year, around 1,100 undergraduate students in the U.S. die by suicide. Stuber hopes the new Washington initiative can head off some of those tragedies.
鈥淭his is truly a prevention story,鈥� said Stuber, an associate professor in the . 鈥淚t鈥檚 about what we can do at the state level to prevent suicide. We want to be able to come back to the legislature and share the great work we鈥檙e doing.鈥�
Representatives of participating schools will meet at an annual conference organized by Forefront to share experiences and showcase student-led projects around suicide prevention and mental health awareness.
The partnership was welcome news to Micia Vergara, president of and a 黑料吃瓜网 senior in public health and the Law, Societies & Justice program.
鈥淚t鈥檚 up to colleges to take a proactive stance, to use the departments and resources and groups on campus to reach out to students,鈥� she said. 鈥淚鈥檝e never seen something that鈥檚 as broad of an effort before. Seeing this all come together is really cool.鈥�
Including students in the effort, Vergara said, is key.
鈥淪tudents can bring a fresh perspective,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not just the researchers who are involved in this advocacy work. It鈥檚 definitely the responsibility of students to also translate this for their peers and make it accessible.鈥�
, CEO of the Jed Foundation, said the campus program is focused 鈥渨ay upstream鈥� from suicide prevention, with the goal of identifying students in distress long before they are in crisis. That can be achieved through measures such as having campus health centers screen for anxiety and depression when students come in for the flu, actively promoting counseling center services and training campus security to recognize the signs of a breakdown so they call an ambulance instead of police, he said.
But the factors leading to a suicide attempt are complex and intensely personal. Some students may have undiagnosed mental illnesses, while others may be struggling academically or have strained relationships with their parents. Since colleges鈥� student populations vary, MacPhee said, it鈥檚 important to develop individual plans that meet the needs of each institution.
鈥淚t鈥檚 not a one size fits all,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 why it can鈥檛 be prescriptive. We try to bring a framework, a way of thinking. Bringing people at the school around the table, talking to each other and understanding, can have a very profound effect.鈥�
The statewide initiative is being funded by the Jolene McCaw Family Foundation, which will cover the cost of the study and the schools鈥� participation in the foundation program. A grant from the federal , in partnership with the Washington State Department of Health, will fund the annual Forefront conference and student showcase.