Tarrant County College District

Through its TCC-Trinity River Campus Suicide Prevention Pilot, Tarrant County College District (TCCD) proposes a replicable model to (1) increase awareness among students and employees of suicide risk facters and signs of distress, (2) increase knowledge of an availability of professional services for students at risk of suicide, and (3) increase frequency and effectiveness of employees/students referrals of students needing suicide prevention services.

TCCD pilot will target services to the 5,000+ students enrolled at TCCD Trinity River Campus as part of a comprehensive campus suicide prevention project. Trinity River students represent diverse demographics of race and ethnicity, including 16.4% of African American students and 32.9% of Hispanic/Latino students, for an overall “majority minority” population, with the emotional and mental health issues common to college students nationwide. Through this proposed project, TCCD will implement and evaluate six key strategies to increase the Colleges capacity to identify and help students at risk of suicide or suicide attempts.

Training and informational tools for TCCD employees will increase the knowledge of faculty and staff to identify and assist students in distress through referral. The proposed project will also increase the capacity of TCCD Student Development Services to conduct training for faculty and staff, provide educational seminars for students, and increase students awareness of professional services available to help them. Proposed project activities include the following: (1) Implement ASK training (Ask about suicide, Seek more information, Know where to refer) for faculty and staff; (2) Expand and formalize local mental health service provider referral network; (3) Develop and deliver educational seminars and classroom presentations to increase student awareness of suicide prevention strategies and available services; (4) Implement a 24/7 Call Center with assessment and referral services, follow-up services, and other resources for students in distress; (5) Distribute suicide prevention informational brochures for students, faculty and staff including information promoting the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline; and (6) Distribute similar suicide prevention informational brochures for parents of students. The project team expects to train at least 200 faculty, staff and students leaders in the ASK approach within the first year of the pilot. Educational seminars and classroom presentations will reach at least 2,000 more students (duplicated count) through at least 100 classroom presentations and 20 non-classroom educational seminars annually. Emphasis will be placed on providing culturally appropriate information and referral services to such high-risk groups as ethnic/racial minorities, people with disabilities, military veterans and families, and LGBT individuals. This project activities will reach thousands more students at Trinity River Campus and the Colleges other four campuses (with total annual unduplicated credit student enrollment of 70,000+) through the purchase and distribution of high quality SAMHSA-funded brochures and educational materials on suicide awareness and prevention.