San Diego City College

Through its Suicide Prevention Program, the Mental Health Counseling Center (MHCC) at San Diego City College (SDCC) seeks to prevent suicide and suicide attempts, reduce stigma surrounding mental illness, foster help seeking behavior, and increase students’ access to treatment. SDCC, a designated Hispanic-serving institution, is unique in that it serves disproportionately high populations of LGBT students, veterans/military, and ethnic minorities. Although MHCC has successfully established the framework for this program, funding is required to formalize infrastructure, fill significant gaps in education and prevention efforts, and address the specific needs of these high-risk populations.

To this end, MHCC seeks to:

1. Increase collaboration with community partners, healthcare providers, and on-campus departments to ensure a comprehensive approach to preventing suicide and responding to crises.
2. Facilitate educational seminars for faculty, staff, and students on mental health topics that specifically address the needs of SDCC’s at-risk populations.
3. Develop innovative and creative educational materials that promote crisis lines and address the warning signs of suicide.

Measurable objectives for the entire project period include collaboration with 60 community organizations to attend on-campus events and offer resources to students, formal MOUs/MOAs with at least 9 agencies or providers to offer a higher level of mental health care to students, and the creation of a formal crisis response plan. In addition, MHCC will provide educational seminars to 270 faculty and staff on supporting at-risk student populations and will provide educational seminars to 4050 students on depression, the signs of suicide, and interpersonal violence prevention. Finally, MHCC will use innovative approaches to promote crisis lines and address the warning signs of suicide, reaching an additional 3885 students throughout the project period.