Grantee Types: Garrett Lee Smith Campus

The University of Hawaii (UH) system with ten culturally diverse campuses across four Hawaiian Islands requires a comprehensive system-wide infrastructure in order to implement campus-specific suicide prevention and mental health programs. Seven goals to address infrastructure development needs are: 1) assess system-wide and campus specific needs; 2) develop policies and procedures for responding to critical mental health events; 3) identify system-wide and community-based resources; 4) establish campus-specific resource networks; 5) increase awareness and knowledge of risk and protective factors for suicide attempts among gatekeepers; 6) increase awareness and knowledge of risk and protective factors for suicide attempts among students; and 7) develop informational, educational, and training materials regarding risk and protective factors for suicide attempts and mental health adjustment.

That UH systems uniquely diverse general student population overlaps significantly with at-risk target populations underscores the importance of embedding culturally sensitive processes for program development and implementation. Outcomes expected are centralized and campus-specific guidelines for responding to critical and general mental health needs, increased awareness and knowledge among gatekeepers and target populations regarding risk and protective factors for suicide attempts, increased help seeking behavior and utilization of mental health services among general and target populations, and improved access to care and resources for critical and general mental health needs.

The University of Hawaii at Hilo Suicide Prevention Grant serves a widely diverse student body that reflects multicultural Hawaii. Targeted sub-populations of students are those at high risk for depression and suicide, such as veterans, LGBTQI students, Native Hawaiians, students with disabilities, and students who stigmatize mental health help. Our semester-long workshops train peers from these targeted groups how to identify, support, and refer students in distress. The goal of this grant project is to prevent suicide and improve the mental health of UH Hilo students through a peer-to-peer health education and support network and through improved communication networks and knowledge among key staff and gatekeepers who come in contact with students needing mental health interventions.

The project objectives are as follows: through collaboration with existing leaders of UH Hilo to (1) develop high-quality, culturally relevant training materials for student peers and seminar materials for gatekeepers; (2) develop seminar materials for family members of high risk students to be presented at semester Orientation Programs; (3) recruit students from targeted at-risk populations to attend the semester-long workshops as part of their student employment; (4) recruit volunteer students for introductory two-hour training workshops from other student populations; (5) reduce the stigma of seeking mental health assistance; (6) increase early intervention in student mental health issues by referrals from peers; (7) increase overall utilization of campus mental health services and the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline; and (8) increase utilization of campus mental health services in the targeted high risk student populations. Measurable outcomes include (1) development of a culturally-tailored 12-hour comprehensive semester-long peer mental health education curriculum; (2) development of a culturally-tailored two-hour introductory peer mental health education curriculum; (3) over three y ears, the recruitment and training of 200 students in the 12-hour comprehensive semester-long mental health curriculum; (4) over three years, the recruitment and training of 200 students in the two-hour introductory peer mental health education curriculum; (5) an overall increase in student utilization rates of campus mental services of at least 10% in three years; (6) an increase in utilization rates of campus mental health services of at least 5% per year for targeted student groups; and (7) improved strategies for intervention that are supported by a majority of gatekeepers who meet regularly each semester of the grant to determine best practice. The number of students served in terms of training follow: (Spring 2012:50); (Fall 2012: 35); (Spring 2012: 35); (Fall 2012: 35); (Spring 2014); (Fall, 2014:35). The total number of students is 400, or about 5% of the student population at UH Hilo. The number of gatekeepers trained is at least 60 over the three years of the grant. In terms of numbers of students reached through intervention, the numbers are not able to be predicted, but hopefully will match our measurable outcomes.

The U.S. Territory of Guam is the largest island in Micronesia, a geographic region in the Western Pacific with some of the highest suicide incidence rates in the world, averaging 26 deaths by suicide per 100,000 population. The suicide incidence rate in Guam itself is approximately 16 deaths per 100,000, which is significantly higher than the U.S. mainland rate of 11 per 100,000. Nearly 60 percent of suicides in Guam are completed by youths and young adults below the age of 30.

In 2005, the University of Guam’s Isa Psychological Services Center applied for and received a three-year grant through the Garrett Lee Smith Memorial Act. This grant supported the creation of the I Pinangon Campus Suicide Prevention program, which has provided suicide prevention services to the university community, including students and their families, faculty, administrators, and staff. In 2008, Isa Psychological Services Center received another three-year grant through the Garrett Lee Smith Memorial Act to support the enhancement, expansion, and institutionalization of campus suicide prevention services through a variety of infrastructure development strategies. Since the inception of the grant in 2005, I Pinangon has reached over 7,000 participants from the university community through gatekeeper training, mental health screening, and other outreach events.The program addresses student suicide risk through six activities: 1.Further development and institutionalization of training programs for student leadership and university personnel to respond effectively to students with mental and behavioral health problems that can lead to suicide and suicide attempts; 2.Institutionalization of a networking infrastructure linking the university with community-based mental health care providers so as to enhance the university’s ability to provide culturally competent mental and behavioral health services to students; 3.Expansion and institutionalization of an educational seminar series providing information on suicide prevention, risk factors, help seeking, and stigma reduction; 4.Further development and promotion of linkages to Guam’s local crisis hotline and the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, including integration of these hotlines into the university’s crisis response plan; 5.Further development of informational materials that address suicide warning signs, risk and protective factors, appropriate actions to help students in distress, symptoms of depression and substance abuse, help seeking, and stigma reduction in a manner congruent with the cultural and linguistic characteristics of the target population6.Further development of informational materials designed to educate students’ families about suicide risk factors and suicide prevention

The University of Florida Suicide Prevention Program’s goals are to increase students’ use of protective strategies and decrease stigma to encourage early intervention and prevent serious mental health crisis. Additional goals include increasing students’ confidence and competence in identifying, approaching, and referring fellow students who are in distress. Lastly, faculty and staff will report increased confidence and competence in identifying, approaching, and referring fellow students who are in distress.

Program strategies are to develop and implement a Social Marketing Campaign aimed at decreasing stigma and increasing use of protective strategies (EX. Increased personal connectedness, increase self-care, and empowered to seek help when you begin to notice problems); in addition we will provide an interactive on-line Gatekeeper Training through Kognito, At-Risk for university faculty, staff, and UF students. The project will target the more than 50,000+ students of the University of Florida through the social marketing campaign. In addition, 500 faculty and staff per year will report improvement in skills and increased confidence in intervening with students in distress after completing At-Risk Gatekeeper Training. Furthermore, 500 students will report improvement in skills and increased confidence in their ability to intervene with fellow students who are in distress after completing At-Risk Gatekeeper Training.

The University of Denver (DU) Suicide Prevention Project aims to prevent suicide attempts and deaths among DU students by increasing system capacity to support inclusive and comprehensive mental health and substance abuse prevention and treatment services. This will occur through policy development; training activities for students, families, faculty, and staff; provision of educational programs and materials; and tactics to enhance student connectedness.

The DU Suicide Prevention Project will target all members of the DU student community. Located a few miles south of downtown Denver, DU serves over 11,800 students. DU students represent 46 states and 87 countries, with 37% of the student body coming from Colorado. The racial and ethnic diversity of DU’s student body indicates a significant presence of distinct cultural backgrounds and needs. International students compose 10% of the DU student population; 2% are Black or African American; under 1% are American Indian or Alaska Native; 9% are Latino/as, and 3% are Asian.

Additionally, the student community maintains significant populations of high-risk groups, including those that have been identified by the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention. The University of Denver’s National College Health Assessment data show that DU students experience an array of mental health concerns, with 7% of students indicating that they had seriously considered suicide in the past 12 months. Moreover, as an institution of higher education located in Colorado, with a significant student population of in-state residents, suicide-related patterns among DU students likely mirror those seen at the state level. Suicide rates among college-aged individuals in the state of Colorado are higher than those seen nationally.

The DU Suicide Prevention project seeks to enhance the capacity of current support networks and to ultimately produce a campus community that is prepared to respond to students in crisis and act proactively to address the mental health needs of all represented populations. Specific programs goals include the following:

• Establish consistent use of comprehensive crisis management procedures on campus.
• Eliminate service gaps for identified high-risk groups.
• Increase help-seeking behaviors among students in need of services.
• Increase the ability of the campus community to identify and support at-risk students.
• Promote student connectedness to each other and to the University.

These goals will be accomplished through the following efforts:

• Convene an interdisciplinary Mental Health Task Force that includes faculty, staff, administrators, students, and local health agencies.
• Assess the mental health needs of identified high-risk groups.
• Review, update, and disseminate comprehensive crisis protocols.
• Incorporate processes to enable early identification and support for incoming students with existing mental health needs.
• Implement gatekeeper training for students, faculty, staff, and families.
• Implement programs and campaigns to enhance student connectedness and reduce stigma related to help-seeking.
• Develop and offer a life skills curriculum.

The University of Central Florida (UCF) Healthy Knights 2020 initiative proposes to promote a cohesive campus-wide environment supportive of the development and maintenance of a healthy body,  mind , and  spirit  in  order  to  decrease  the  occurrence  mental  health  issues  that  lead  to  suicide.  Currently  the  UCF  campus  has  several  options  for  students  to  receive  health,  mental  health, and behavioral health services; however, following a pivotal on-campus suicide incident in 2013 the University recognized different areas of suicide prevention in need of improvement.

The purpose of the Healthy Knights 2020 program is to expand efforts to promote wellness and help-seeking  of  all  students  and  provide  specific  outreach  to  vulnerable  students  such  as  veterans,  the  LGBTQ+  community,  and  those  suffering  from  co-occurring  disorders.  The  program promotes a comprehensive approach to assess the health status and needs of the campus community by expanding the current infrastructure and capacity to close the current gaps in care. The Healthy Knights 2020 Program will provide services to 500 unduplicated students per year, for a total of 1500 over the three-year award period. The program goals include: 1) developing a crisis  response  plan  that  encompasses  not  only  the  UCF  campus  community  but  the  greater  Orlando  community  which  includes  linkage  to  the  National  Suicide  Prevention  Lifeline;  2)  increasing awareness of suicide risk factors such as depression and substance abuse, the warning signs,  and  prevention  strategies  and  resources  specifically  for  our  high  risk  populations  such  a  LGBTQ+,  students  with  co-occurring  substance  abuse  and  mental  health  issues  and  student  veterans   through   gatekeeper   trainings;   3)   providing   information   on   suicide   prevention,   identification, and reduction of risk factors, such as depression and substance abuse, promoting help seeking, and reducing the negative attitudes towards seeking care for mental and substance use  disorders;  4)  creating  brochures  and  PSAs  specific  to  UCF  and  its  community  to  help  increase the awareness of suicide prevention; and 5) become a member of the Jed Foundations, The  Campus  Program.  The  objectives  of  Healthy  Knights  2020  are  to  implement  training  and  postvention procedures in the unfortunate event that a student completes a suicide; increase the number of gatekeeper trainers and accessibility to information online; strengthen peer education and  various  resiliency  programs;  increase  awareness  through  various  marketing  strategies  and  improvement in addressing mental health, substance abuse and suicide prevention programming.

The University of Central Florida (UCF) is the second largest institute of higher learning in the nation  enrolling  approximately  61,000  undergraduate,  graduate  and  professional  students  on  eleven campuses in the Central Florida area. Although the projects put forth in this proposal will impact the entire campus community, a sub-population for this project will specifically focus on faculty and staff as they are often right on the front line of recognizing students in distress.

At the University of California, Davis (UCD) School of Medicine, we strongly believe that student wellness is the result of multiple converging factors, including institutional culture. Over half (52%) of all students enrolled in 2010-11 and 57% of the class of 2014 are of diverse ethnic backgrounds. We propose to improve student wellness, lower burnout, and reduce risk factors for suicidal ideation, in particular by targeting two vulnerable populations, military and under-represented minority students and their families. Our proposal has two aims:

Aim 1: Offer support and education to military students, including veterans. We will develop a comprehensive strategy to support military students, including one-on-one meetings with active or retired military men and women faculty mentors, support groups, and a listserv. This intervention will address approximately 10 military students of both genders, in years 1-4.
Aim 2: Develop a culturally sensitive educational intervention for students families. We will design a culturally sensitive workshop for incoming students families, to be presented at the first year orientation (family participation will be voluntary) and a pamphlet to educate families on student mental health. We will follow the students’ Maslach Burnout Inventory scores longitudinally and compare students whose families attended the workshop with students whose families did not participate. Thus we hope to establish the effectiveness of the family educational intervention, as translated in lower student burnout scores. This intervention will address approximately 100 students and their families each year (at least 50% of whom are of diverse ethnic backgrounds).

Throughout the project’s lifetime, approximately 300 students and their family members will be served. After the grant funding ends and the effectiveness of our interventions has been demonstrated we plan to incorporate these interventions in regular activities of the Office of Student Wellness, already in existence at UCD School of Medicine.

University of California Riverside proposes to establish a suicide prevention project entitled Suicide Outreach Services (SOS) that will target all students and focus on identified “high risk” student groups by mentoring, educating, screening and support services. The SOS program will embrace and align its activities with the objectives articulated by the Department of Health and Human Services Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. These objectives will be accomplished through proactive engagement of students, faculty, and staff in effective suicide prevention trainings and educational workshops, aimed at decreasing the stigma associated with seeking mental health services and increasing awareness, intervention, referral and help seeking. Additionally, the project will build capacity within the university to provide sustainable suicide prevention programs and services while strengthening collaborations with the UCR School of Medicine and Riverside Department of Mental Health. Additionally the activation of a campus-wide communications campaign of print and electronic media will promote the program, and bring about a comprehensive suicide prevention program that is currently lacking at our University.

Ultimately, the overall goal of SOS is to prevent suicide by promoting a collaborative university climate that honors and cherishes the lives of all our students, while encouraging and allowing them to seek much needed support if ever necessary. This project is designed to build essential capacity and infrastructure to support sustainable, expanded efforts to promote wellness and help-seeking for all students and outreach to vulnerable students.

The UCR SOS Program will specifically focus on our “at-risk” student populations of new graduate students, new international graduate students, students with diagnosed psychological disabilities, student veterans who are on active status or returning combat veterans, and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transsexual (LGBT) students.

The University of California Irvine proposes the establishment of Project COURAGE (Campus Opportunities Uniting Resources Around Giving Encouragement). The overall goal of Project COURAGE is to prevent suicide by promoting a campus norm that honors achievement and competition while encouraging and allowing students to seek support when it is needed. The project will initially target first-year students with increased education, screening, and support services. Consistent with the framework suggested by the Suicide Prevention Resource Center, the activities of Project COURAGE will strengthen and fill gaps in existing services to “expand the safety net” for students vulnerable to suicidal ideations. Activities will include the formation of Project COURAGE teams consisting of faculty, staff, and students who will be trained by clinical providers to assist in identification and referral of students at risk for suicide. Project staff will work with Better World Advertising to formulate and produce a social marketing campaign to support project goals. Clinical staff will also work to increase screenings for depression, substance abuse, and other mental disorders that put students at higher risk for suicide. Project materials will be distributed to parents through a quarterly Parents’ Newsletter and Parents’ Weekend programs. Staff will also attend trainings on Stress Management Prevention at the Harvard Mind/Body Medical Institute, in order to integrate their research on stress into the Project COURAGE work. Evaluation strategies include an annual online student survey designed to measure two outcomes: 1) First year students will report decreases in measures of poor mental health/depression (PMHD) and 2) First year students will report increased awareness and regard for campus mental health services.

The initiative at the University of California, Berkeley is called the Asian-Pacific Islander Early Intervention Program (Cal-APEIP). The program supports a comprehensive and coordinated approach to prevent suicide and attempted suicide, focusing on the issues of Asian-Pacific Islander (API) students; their parents/families; and key faculty, staff, and student leaders.

Almost 35% of Berkeley students are API, representing multiple cultures, languages, socioeconomics, and immigrant generations. This presents a challenge in addressing health and mental health needs. Research shows API students may be at particular risk for mental health concerns and suicide, and may be less likely to utilize mental health services. At Berkeley, API students make up only 20% of visits to mental health services. This tendency to underutilize or delay services may lead to distress being more acute upon entry into the system. Despite the diversity among API students, there are shared cultural elements to consider when addressing mental health needs. These may provide protective factors, but also may contribute to higher risk (e.g., emphasis on academic success; importance of family and community; the large percentage of API students being immigrants or from recent-immigrant families).

We plan to:

• Increase the knowledge of API students and their families about mental health and suicide, addressing stigma, and normalizing help-seeking.
• Increase the capacity of faculty, staff, and student leaders to identify, respond to, assist, and refer API students at risk.
• Strengthen the campus safety network for API students with mental health needs and at risk for suicide, and increasing the campus community’s knowledge of this network.