Jackson State University

Jackson State University’s Metro Jackson Community Prevention Coalition in collaboration with the Latasha Norman Center for Counseling & Psychological Services will implement the Crisis Prevention Resource (CPR) Project. CPR is designed to prevent suicide attempts and completions through a comprehensive approach which will enhance the infrastructure of mental health service, suicide prevention, and crisis management on Jackson State University’s campus. The project targets, students, faculty, staff, administrators, and parents to reduce risk for suicide and promote protective factors. The project’s objective is to reduce suicide attempts and completions among: residential/first year students, upperclassman, racial/ethnic minority students, students with disabilities, international students, and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, and questioning (LGBTIQ) students on all JSU campuses. This objective will be achieved by providing education to students, faculty, staff, administrators, and parents designed to enhance knowledge, skills and abilities to identify and refer high-risk students; identifying and respond to early warning signs and risk behaviors; promoting protective factors; increasing students’ awareness of personal risk and protective behaviors; increasing the utilization of resources for counseling and wellness within the target populations; reducing stigma of mental and behavioral health conditions; engaging students, faculty, staff, parents and other key individuals and constituencies in leadership roles to facilitate suicide prevention within the target populations; and promoting a wellness program on all campuses, specifically targeting the high-risk populations. Specific activities implemented include: providing gatekeeper training to all residence hall staff, student leaders, and paraprofessionals; adapting and providing gatekeeper training for individuals serving the target populations; producing a social marketing campaign to educate gatekeepers, students, and parents; establishing and sustaining a university-wide suicide prevention coalition with representation by students, gatekeepers, faculty, staff and parents involved with the target populations; organizing an active group of students representing the target populations as peer educators and project consultants; promoting and providing an online wellness assessment; and promoting and providing a counseling center-based 4-session wellness group on all campuses.