California State University Northridge

Offered in response to the need to reach out to a culturally diverse student population, the proposed project, CSUN Suicide Prevention and Awareness Program, will enable California State University, Northridge (CSUN) to enhance and expand campus suicide prevention efforts through the development and integration of culturally appropriate training materials, new education and training modules, and a networking infrastructure. This project addresses a gap in service to culturally diverse populations and higher-risk populations and enhances the university’s suicide prevention and mental and behavioral health services infrastructure by expanding the reach of training and educational programs in a culturally appropriate manner; thereby increasing the likelihood of intervention and help-seeking among at-risk students and their families. Current suicide prevention efforts at CSUN represent a mosaic of services rather than a comprehensive system of care. Although the university has many programs and services to meet the needs of its students, the current mosaic approach, as well as the lack of culturally appropriate materials, is not adequate to meet the needs of an increasingly diverse population of students and growing number of full and part-time staff. CSUN proposes a three-year federal grant from SAMHSA of $305,950, with an equivalent non-federal match from CSUN and its community partner agency, the Tarzana Treatment Center. The goals of the proposed project are to: (1) prepare and obtain culturally appropriate informational materials directed at addressing the warning signs of suicide and suicide risk factors, such as depression and substance abuse, among the CSUN?s two largest student ethnic groups, Latina and Pacific Islanders, as well as LGBT students and military veterans; (2) create a networking infrastructure by developing a centralized website that connects our target populations with the university’s programs and services and community support agencies; (3) create a networking infrastructure by developing a moderated blog and social networking site to connect students and families with expert advice and training materials that are culturally appropriate and germane to a diverse study population and their families; (4) develop new educational seminars and the use of newly acquired training materials that enable students, faculty, and staff to respond more effectively to students with mental and behavioral health problems and to promote help-seeking behavior among students in general and Latino, Asian-Pacific Islander, and LGBT students in particulate; (5) develop a new training model that reaches more faculty and critical line staff and places critical training resources within more departments and units.