University of New Mexico

The University of New Mexico (UNM) proposes a Comprehensive, Coordinated, University-wide Suicide Prevention Project (CCUSPP) with the goal of reducing the number of attempted and completed suicides among the student population, with emphasis on those that are at greater risk including Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Questioning (LBGTQ) youth. CCUSPP will be led by the Office for Equity and Inclusion’s LGBTQ Resource Center in partnership with other UNM Departments such as Student Health and Counseling, Agora Crisis Center and the Center for Rural and Community Behavioral Health. External partners include the NM Suicide Prevention Coalition and the NM Department of Health. The project will feature two main components: (1) Development of a coordinated, comprehensive prevention and response plan; and (2) Extensive gatekeeper training and dissemination of information. Stakeholder groups to be targeted for training include students, faculty and staff, campus health and mental health professionals, family members, and others that have contact and influence with the target populations including law enforcement, residence hall advisors, student government, and student organization leaders. CCUSPP will focus on the main campus in Albuquerque as well as branch campuses in Gallup, Taos and Valencia. The project is guided by six objectives:

• Objective 1: Prevention and Response Plan. By the end of the grant period, the project will improve collaboration among internal and external departments and agencies to develop and implement a coordinated prevention and response plan including a referral network.
• Objective 2: Gatekeeper Training. Each year, the project will increase the number of individuals on campus trained in suicide prevention including (a) faculty and staff; (b) Resident Assistants; (c) Student Health and Counseling Staff; (d) Community Primary Care Providers; (e) Community Behavioral Health Providers; (f) Campus Police Officers; (g) Other University Stakeholders (e.g. library staff, CAPS tutoring, residence life, student services, resource centers); and (h) university students for peer support.
• Objective 3: Improved Knowledge and Confidence. Each year, at least 80% of gatekeeper training participants will improve their level of knowledge and confidence about suicide prevention.
• Objective 4. Training of Trainers. Each year, at least 10 UNM staff will be trained to provide gatekeeper training to university stakeholders.
• Objective 5. Dissemination of Information. Each grant year the project will add to the number of individuals exposed to mental health awareness messages including students, faculty, and health and mental health providers.
• Objective 6. Help-Seeking Behavior. Each year, university students will exhibit increased help-seeking behavior evidenced by accessing mental health resources on campus, accessing local Agora crisis line, and accessing national Lifeline.