Garrett Lee Smith Campus – Page 11 – Suicide Prevention Resource Center

Saint Peter’s College

The proposed Suicide Prevention Project at Saint Peter’s College is a collaborative project among the following agencies: (1) Saint Peter’s College (2) Asian Resource Center for Families & Children, and (3) Best Practices for Children & Families (Servicio Mejores para Ninos y Familia). In addition, Saint Peter’s College has a formal affiliation agreement with Jersey City Medical Center for the latter to provide medical, mobile crisis intervention service and inpatient psychiatric treatment.

Saint Peter’s College, located in Jersey City, has the unique distinction of being the only private college in New Jersey that is a U.S. Department of Education-designated Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI). Saint Peter’s College serves a predominantly local student pool, with more than 40% living within 10 miles of the college’s main campus in Jersey City, New Jersey. The total college enrollment is 3,282 with the following racial/ethnic breakdown: 40.6% White Non-Hispanic, 28.6% Hispanic, 19,7% African American, 7.1% Asian/Pacific Islander, and 0.3% American Indian/Alaskan Native. Jersey City, the second largest city in New Jersey, has an ethnically diverse population of 240,055: 34.0% White, 28.3% Black, 16.2% Asian/Pacific Islander, and 21.1% Other Race (US Census, 2000). In 2000, 28.3% of the population was of Hispanic origin.

The primary goals of the proposed project are to prevent suicide among students attending Saint Peter’s College, and reduce problems associated with suicide including depression and alcohol abuse. These goals will be achieved through the implementation of the following activities: an enhanced and more culturally sensitive training program for peer educators, faculty and staff to respond to students with mental health and substance abuse problems; a cadre of trained peer educators to assist current counseling staff in the implementation of project activities including a suicide response plan patterned after the University of Idaho’s Suicide Behavior Response Plan; annual ethnic diversity & mental health wellness fair; and educational workshops on suicide prevention, identification, and reduction of risk factors. A unique feature of the proposed project is an active outreach to families of Hispanic students to educate them on the college experience (to enhance Hispanic student retention); and to teach them skills to reduce parent-child conflicts (a major cause of suicidal behaviors among adolescent Hispanic females). A two-part evaluation (process and outcome) will be conducted by Dr. Fred Andes, Associate

Saint Cloud State University

St. Cloud State University (SCSU) is committed to providing best practices health and wellness services to our students. We believe that college student suicide will be prevented through the creation of a caring campus community. By increasing help-seeking behavior, reducing stigma about mental health concerns, and providing tools to instill compassionate responsiveness to students across our University, we will create a community that is healthier and stronger for all. Suicide prevention is everyone’s concern. SCSU is committed to the safety and growth of the whole student. Our goals will be achieved through best practice online and in-person suicide prevention training, engaging educational seminars, and campus specific marketing for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. SCSU will develop customized educational brochures, posters, handouts, videos, and websites to educate students and family members as well as faculty and staff, about suicide prevention, risk factors, and protective factors. The University will utilize social networking, multiple social norms campaigns, a new student-led organization, student-initiated creativity, and a wide range of diverse campus leaders to help implement our goals. SCSU will also utilize existing nationally recognized programs including the Jed Foundation, SAMHSA, and mtvU. These programs will be infused into our existing efforts and the campus culture using multiple approaches and mediums. A Suicide Prevention Leadership Council (SPLC) will be formed to advise and guide the grant during its implementation and beyond completion of the grant period. Ongoing data collection, assessment, and performance analysis will be conducted to make ongoing enhancements and ensure effectiveness of all grant related programming. A Cultural Competency Advisor will be utilized to help advise on ways to sensitively infuse cultural competency throughout the various aspects of the grant. Each year of the grant we hope to train approximately six campus leaders on Gatekeeper training. These individuals will then train approximately one thousand students, faculty, and staff each year. To accommodate those students that are enrolled online, may have difficult schedules, or learn better in an online setting, we will also offer Kognito online suicide prevention training to 1,000 students each year. In total, SCSU plans to have approximately 2,500 students receive suicide prevention training each year for a total of 7,500 students trained by the end of the grant period. In addition, the number of QPR trained professional staff will increase from zero before the grant to approximately eighteen by the end of funding. The social norms marketing, large campus events, student organization, and other grant activities will impact thousands of students, faculty, and staff during the duration of the funding. The grant will provide the necessary groundwork to help SCSU sustain this very important work years beyond the grant period.

Saginaw Valley State University

Saginaw Valley State University (SVSU), an institution of higher education, will facilitate a comprehensive approach to prevent suicide among students and enhance services for students with mental and behavioral health problems. SVSU will activate the Active Minds Chapter to increase awareness and decrease mental health stigma and train faculty, staff and students to recognize the warning signs of mental and behavioral health issues.

The project is geared toward all SVSU students and workshops and trainings will include faculty, staff and students. The 2010 fall semester enrollment is 10,656 students – 8,647 undergraduate, 1,465 graduate students, 544 other status; 40% male, 60% female; 70% of the students are age 25 or younger; average age for undergraduate student is 23; demographics: Native American (41) 0.38%; Asian American (74) 0.69%; African American (888) 8.33%; Hispanic (243) 2.28%; Hawaiian/Pacific Islander (4) 0.04%; White (8,460) 79.39%; Multi-racial (90) 0.84%; International (419) 3.93%; Canadian (40) 0.38%; Unknown (397) 3.73%. In the academic year 2009/2010 we had 16 students that demonstrated some form of suicide gesture, ideation or attempt, which warranted some type of intervention.

The project will address the current crisis response plan and create programming and awareness on campus for students, faculty/staff on mental health issues which include trainings on suicide prevention.
The project goal is to facilitate a comprehensive approach to prevent suicide and enhance services for students with mental and behavioral health problems. Measurable objectives include:

SVSU will hold yearly online or on site monthly training sessions in cooperation with two partnering agencies that focus on warning signs for 20 faculty, staff, and students/session.
The Active Minds Chapter will have 18 peer health educators by the end of year 3 of the project.
By the end of year 3, in a random survey of 500 students/staff/faculty, 50% will have an awareness of mental health issues and know where to seek help.
By the end of year 3, the University will include plans to address suicide prevention in the Crisis Response Plan.

We currently have 10,656 students attending SVSU and 1,283 faculty/staff that work at SVSU. We will impact all students and staff with awareness campaigns with the result that 50% of students/ faculty/staff will know where to seek help by the end of year 3. Training will be offered monthly for up to 20 faculty/staff/students for a total of 240 yearly or 720 over three years.

The Suicide Prevention Resource Center at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center is supported by a grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), Center for Mental Health Services (CMHS), under Grant No. 1H79SM083028-03

The views, opinions, and content expressed in this product do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions, or policies of CMHS, SAMHSA, or HHS.

Rowan University

Rowan University strives to create a campus that is both trauma-informed and responsive to suicide, suicide attempts, and depression. Suicide is the second leading cause of death among college students (US Department of Health and Human Services, 2012), while for non-college students of the same age, suicide is the third leading cause of death (US Department of Health and Human Services, 2012). Colleges must be prepared to prevent, address, and respond to suicidality among their students. Rowan University’s Office of Healthy Campus Initiatives, in collaboration with the Counseling and Psychological Services Center and Student Health Center, propose to create a comprehensive suicide prevention program that addresses suicide risk factors and increases referral to treatment, thereby mitigating risk for suicidality. Target student populations include undergraduate, graduate, and medical students. In the 2012-2013 academic year, there were 10,750 undergraduates, 1,383 graduate students, and 50 professionals enrolled at Rowan, from 28 states and 19 foreign countries. Rowan used universal prevention programs to target the above demographics. Goals and measures for this project include: expansion and development of existing universal prevention and selected prevention programs, allow for expansion and training of our staff and faculty operated Stress Management and Response Team (SMART), and creation of new programs, staffing and materials designed to educate, inform, and train the campus community on the recognition of suicide risk factors, signs of suicidality, and effective interventions and referrals aimed at reducing risk. The number of individuals to be directly served annually will be 1,075 students, or 10% of the enrolled undergraduate population.

Rhodes State College

The purpose of the Changing Lives Campus Suicide Prevention Project is to build the capacity of the college infrastructure for a more comprehensive, shared-responsibility approach to suicide prevention. This approach will include initiatives designed to expand and strengthen collaborations with campus and community partners; educate faculty, staff and students about suicide warning signs, prevention and intervention practices; promote awareness of resources and support services; increase student help-seeking behavior through counseling and/or peer support groups; and reduce the stigma associated with such help-seeking. While the project will have an impact on all RSC students, it is targeted toward low-income, veteran, disabled, and LGBT students.

RSC is a public two-year, post-secondary institution in Lima, Ohio, serving over 5,000 credit students primarily from its 10-county service area. RSC’s minority enrollment is approximately 9% with over 46% of its student identified as low-income. The college services veteran, military service members, disabled and LGBT students. In support of the RSC mission to change lives, build futures and improve communities, RSC’s project goals include:

Increase and/or strengthen collaboration among campus and community partners
Increase student, faculty and staff mental health knowledge and awareness regarding suicide and suicide prevention
Increase promotion for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline
Increase help-seeking among students and reduce negative attitudes about seeking care for mental and substance use disorders among students

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

In response to the growing issues related to depression and substance abuse, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute will enhance existing programs and add several novel approaches, which will benefit the target population. Rensselaer has designed a program to develop training programs for students and campus personnel, create an on-campus network, develop and implement educational seminars, promote linkage to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, prepare informational material and prepare educational material for families. It is expected that the evaluation will show that Rensselaer students will experience fewer mental and behavioral health problems each year that the comprehensive program exists.

Two key items are an institutional assessment and the need to develop a Crisis Response Plan. The Jed Foundation was contacted and they, along with consultant Dr. Mort Silverman, will perform the assessment. It is hoped that the assessment report, along with the evaluation efforts of this project, will allow Rensselaer to create an innovative new strategy for suicide prevention. Additionally Rensselaer will create, disseminate, and then practice a Crisis Response Plan.

Additionally, we plan to enhance existing services and improve access to care by contracting with a psychiatrist one day a week. Finally, this project will allow Rensselaer to fully take advantage of the data that is gathered, by expanding the analysis to focus specifically on depression and academic success.

Regis University

Suicide is the second leading cause of death for college students (Haas, Hendin & Mann, 2003, Haas, 2004, Jamison, 1999), and a rapidly emerging public health concern on many campuses. Regis University, The BACCHUS Network TM, and the Carson J Spencer Foundation request a total of $73,744 (year one) to build a unified, effective and sustainable suicide prevention and mental health awareness infrastructure through the SPEAK UP (Suicide Prevention, Education, Action, Knowledge: University Partnerships) initiative. Building from the needs assessment conducted at Regis University in the spring of 2006, this initiative will address diverse target groups including young adult men, students with preexisting mental health concerns, GLBTiQ populations (Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgendered, Intrasex, and Questioning), healthcare professionals/students, and faith communities. The three partners intend to develop a coordinate multi-pronged effort intended to impact the following three goals: (1) To develop a coordinated and knowledgeable suicide prevention networking infrastructure at Regis University, in Colorado, and nationally, (2) to develop social marketing campaigns to de-stigmatize mental disorders and increase help-seeking behavior, and (3) to increase the number of trained gatekeepers. Training, educational seminars, and informational materials will be piloted at Regis University and then disseminated through several comprehensive regional and national networks facilitated by The BACCHUS Network TM and the Carson J Spencer Foundation.

Red Rocks Community College

Red Rocks Community College (RRCC) is a public two-year college serving west metro Denver, Colorado since 1969. RRCC is proposing the Suicide Prevention Capacity Building (SPCB) project to address the need for suicide prevention among its increasingly diverse student body. The SPCB at Red Rocks Community College will result in the development of a networking infrastructure that connects the campus to the community and enhances the college’s capacity to effectively identify and respond to students in distress. RRCC serves a diverse student population of nearly 9,000 students per semester, the majority of whom are first-generation college students (54%) and/or low-income students (33%). In addition, the college serves populations that may be at higher risk for substance abuse, depression, and suicide including veterans, students identifying as LGBT, disabled students, and American Indian/Alaskan Natives. In response to the needs identified, RRCC will expand its behavioral health services to include suicide prevention and awareness by achieving the following project goals:

Establish a coordinated and knowledgeable suicide prevention networking infrastructure that connects the campus to the community,
Develop a network of students, faculty, and staff identified as gatekeepers who can respond effectively to students with mental and substance use disorders, and
Foster a culture of help seeking on the RRCC campus through education of students, faculty, and staff targeted at reducing negative attitudes towards seeking care for mental health and substance use disorders.

As a result, RRCC will develop and institutionalize a comprehensive suicide prevention plan including developing and integrating suicide and postvention specific protocols into its crisis response plan, train 760 students, faculty and staff with support from Jefferson Center for Mental Health, deliver suicide prevention outreach activities to a minimum of 2,900 students, and promote resources and information through culturally and linguistically appropriate educational materials targeted at students and their families.

Purdue University Ft. Wayne

Project COMPASS: COMmunity Partners Against Student Suicide is a comprehensive suicide prevention and health promotion program creating links between all areas of college life from campus to home. Gatekeeper training for campus, families, and faith communities, cultural awareness education, and anti-harassment campaigns are important components in a program that will target LGBTQ, military service members, and racial and ethnic minority students. Campus-wide assessment of the target populations, with particular attention to first-year students, will afford the opportunity to identify vulnerable students and implement early intervention.

Use of existing resources is the foundation of this program. University police has implemented a crisis intervention protocol, the Student Assistance Program provides mental health counseling and referral, the Wellness program provides wellness education, the Office of Institutional Equity provides anti-harassment training. We will develop an infrastructure linking the services with each other and adding resources in the community, involving parents, clergy, and other support persons in our prevention and intervention efforts.

We propose to assess an minimum of 1000 students per semester, train 250 gatekeepers during the life of the grant, and conduct 12 cultural awareness education programs on campus and in the community per year of the life of the grant. Outcome measures include assessment follow-up data, training satisfaction surveys, increased numbers of referrals to University mental health services, and decrease in harassment incidents.

Purdue University

The purpose of ALIVE (Awareness Linking Individuals to Valuable Education) @ Purdue is to prevent adverse outcomes (i.e., suicide, suicide attempts, academic attrition) for students with depression and suicide risk by increasing the likelihood that they will be connected with appropriate services. ALIVE @ Purdue is designed to initiate a comprehensive environmental change around attitudes toward help seeking. The theory-based project involves the innovative use of graduate students in counseling as educators to train resident assistants and provide direct outreach to students in residence halls, enhanced by the implementation of a supporting media campaign. ALIVE @ Purdue has the potential to reach 11,000 students a year with its message.

ALIVE Purdue has two specific goals. Goal one is to increase the likelihood that RAs will identify and refer at-risk students. Goal two is to improve the help-seeking behavior of at-risk students. To accomplish these goals, ALIVE @ Purdue will design and deliver RA training and direct outreach programs and a media campaign (Web sites, public service announcements, bulletin board kits, ads on Facebook.com, etc.) that address (a) knowledge about mental health and behavioral problems and resources, (b) attitudes toward help seeking, and (c) skills in referring at-risk students. The program uses the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB, Ajzen, 1991) as a theoretical framework to guide program development and evaluation. Graduate students in College Student Personnel and Counseling Psychology will be trained as ALIVE @ Purdue Educators to deliver RA training and outreach programs.

The division of program activities into these two goals, while necessary for clarity of program delivery and evaluation, obscures the synergistic nature of the ALIVE @ Purdue program. The components of ALIVE @ Purdue work together to increase RAs’ effectiveness as mental health gatekeepers. The program provides RAs with enhanced training in the areas of suicide, suicide risk, and the art of referral; it also provides them with previously non-existing tools in the form of outreach programming and the media campaign. The media campaign creates greater receptivity on the part of students at risk to outreach efforts and to RA referrals.

ALIVE @ Purdue represents a collaborative effort between the academic programs in College Student Personnel and Counseling Psychology and Purdue’s Counseling and Psychological Services center with support and cooperation from University Residences, Purdue’s Assessment Research Center, and the Lafayette Crisis Center.