Connecticut College – Suicide Prevention Resource Center

Camel Wellbeing

Garrett Lee Smith Campus

Active

2018

Connecticut

Camel Wellbeing will prioritize student mental health and wellbeing while promoting suicide prevention at Connecticut College. Leveraging existing infrastructures, Camel Wellbeing will utilize the JED Campus Framework to enhance growth, coordination, and collaboration in the identification of students at risk; provision of mental health/substance use disorder services; development of life skills, and provision of wellness (wellbeing). Camel Wellbeing will target all Connecticut College students with focused attention on underrepresented populations, including veterans. Connecticut College enrolls approximately1,800 students from 45 states and 44 countries, of which 25% are students of color and 85% of the incoming class received institutional grant funding. Internal measures indicate that 26% of the students receiving mental health care over the last year reported suicidal ideation. CORE (2014) indicates, that 90% of the students reported consuming alcohol in the past year; 68% reported binge drinking in the previous two weeks; 58% used marijuana in the past year; and 23% used an illegal drug (other than marijuana) in the past year. The specific goals/ objectives of Camel Wellbeing are: (1) Increase effective identification of students at risk by implementing enhanced mental health screening and campus-wide training:

100% of students will receive screening through a variety of methods
Faculty, staff and students will receive enhanced training to identify and support students at risk (2) Provide enhanced mental health and substance use disorders services, with special attention to crisis and after hours resources: Build increased capacity through triage; clinical staff professional development; provision of skills training/treatment; identification of community providers; utilization of ProtoCall Services (all after hours calls); by safe e-prescribing (100%). (3) Utilize evidence-based approaches and resources to develop student life skills:
Increased number and promotion of well-coordinated life skills opportunities including workshops, groups, counseling and a wellbeing room for use by students (4) Create a collaborative and integrated campus approach to student wellness (wellbeing):
College Wellbeing Steering Committee formulates mission, strategic plan and branding to unify campus and community in efforts for student wellbeing Camel Wellbeing will engage campus stakeholders and local/regional/national stakeholders including community providers, hospital, CT DMHAS, NAMI, PFLAG, CT SEMHA, JED, ASPF, SAMHSA,SPRC, all through the Mental Health Coalition and/or through direct request. All objectives will be evaluated to assess impact and success of Camel Wellbeing.