Washington State University

With leadership from Health and Wellness Services and collaborative support across campus, Washington State University will develop and implement a strategic plan to promote mental health and prevent suicide. The project will result in implementation of a crisis response protocol, improved programs and procedures to address behavioral health disparities, increased gatekeeper training for faculty and staff, and increased programs for students.

Washington State University is a public, land-grant institution situated in rural Washington State. Annual enrollment is just over 18,000 students, about 30% of whom identify as multicultural. While serving the entire student population, this project will pay specific attention to addressing behavioral health disparities that exist within our multicultural and LGBT student communities. Other groups of priority interest are Veterans and their families and first- generation students.

Because of the size of the campus in relationship to the poor, rural city and county in which it is located, the University has developed extensive clinical services for students with a mental health provider to student ratio of about 1/1000. With historical focus on providing clinical care, it is time to move forward with plans to promote mental health and prevent suicide in a more broadly coordinated campus-wide effort.