Mental Health Matters: Supporting a Community through MHAT - Tulsa Community College (TCC) proposes to increase mental health training and awareness among faculty, staff, and students and provide coordinated care for students in need of mental health services through its five-year project, Mental Health Matters: Supporting a Community through MHAT. TCC proposes to train 1000 TCC faculty, staff (including law enforcement personnel), student groups, including veteran students, and adults in the Tulsa community who can assist the population of focus. Annual targets for unduplicated trainees are: 150 in Year 1; 180 in Year 2; 200 in Year 3; 220 in Year 4; and 250 in Year 5. These trained individuals will be empowered to assist and direct TCC students – the population of focus – to needed resources within the institution and the community. In the 19-20 academic year, TCC had 22,569 enrollments, including 45% students of color. The majority of TCC students are female (63%) and the average student age is 25. TCC’s student body is ethnically diverse, low-income young adults, with a higher-than-average likelihood of being uninsured. Additionally, Oklahoma and the Tulsa region trails the nation in mental health services. The Oklahoma Department of Mental Health estimates that 84.5% of people with mental illness in TCC’s seven county area remain untreated. By training 1,000 individuals in the community, utilizing a strong referral system for treatment and services, and expanding mental health awareness events and social marketing, TCC will ensure that more students (and their families) in the Tulsa community receive mental health assistance. TCC has developed three outcome-oriented goals with six measurable objectives. Goal 1. Increase the number of TCC faculty, staff, and students who have the skills to help a student who has a mental health problem or is experiencing a mental health crisis. Objective 1a. By September 2026, train 1,000 individuals in prevention or mental health promotion via evidence-based methods. Goal 2: Increase the number of referrals by TCC employees and students to mental health or related services over the five-year project period to increase the number of individuals receiving needed treatment. Objective 2a: By September 2026, record a 15% increase over baseline data in the number of individuals referred to a community mental health service provider or the TCC Office of Wellness Services. Goal 3: Increase awareness of mental health issues among TCC students to reduce the stigma and improve awareness of available community services by 20%. Objective 3a: By December 2021, administer the Healthy Minds Survey to assess current mental health awareness and quantify students’ knowledge of mental health resources. Objective 3b: By January 2022, initiate an evidence-based social marketing and awareness campaign. Objective 3c: By September 2022, host 2 mental health awareness events (in-person or virtual), increasing to 3 events annually thereafter, and record attendance numbers and participant feedback via post-event surveys. Objective 3d: By December 2025, conduct a post-campaign Healthy Minds Survey to TCC students to quantify the increase in knowledge of mental health resources.
