Miami University is deeply committed to the success of every member of the community. The university's mission is to empower each student, staff, and faculty member to promote and become engaged citizens who use their acquired knowledge and skills with integrity and compassion to improve the future of the community and the world. The anticipated impact by implementing a coordinated, comprehensive suicide prevention plan will be an increase in helping and help-seeking behaviors by Miami students as evidenced by utilization rates of the student counseling service, number of calls to the HOPE Line, attendance at QPR and Mental Health First Aid trainings, SBIRT screenings within the student health services, and a decrease to lethal means with medication lock bags and medication disposal bags. An increase in awareness across campus will be achieved through an ongoing campaign that features lectures, screening days, media impressions, and highlighting resources and mental health promotion messages. These actions will be coordinated by a newly established Mental Health Promotion Team.
Goals
* Establish a Mental Health Promotion Team that includes representation from key Miami University staff and city of Oxford community providers within 60 days post-award.
* Build capacity by providing training to clinical service providers, faculty, staff, and students to deliver evidence-based prevention and treatment strategies, concentrated during Year 1 of the grant, and then ongoing.
* Create a campus-wide awareness campaign designed to promote resources and activities that reduce suicide for implementation during Year 2 of the award.
* Deliver effective programs that promote wellness and prevent suicide to targeted student groups and to off campus partners that have frequent contact with students beginning in Year 1 and through Year 3 of the grant.
* Communication efforts will seek to disseminate educational and information materials and learning opportunities to students and their families and will begin in Year 1 through Year 3.
* Promote efforts to reduce access to lethal means of suicide beginning in Year 1 through Year 3 of the grant.
Considering the large scope of this comprehensive plan, it is anticipated that 33,000 students will have a direct interaction, in addition to attendance rates at lectures and exposure to the media elements of the campaign.
Established in 1809, Miami University is a public, residential university located in the city of Oxford, Ohio. As of Fall 2021, over 16,500 undergraduate students were enrolled with the university, as well as over 2,300 graduate students. The student body is composed of 13% international students, 15% domestic students of color, 12% students with disabilities. The Miami University Miller Center for Student Disability Services has seen a 32% increase compared to fall 2018. The Miami University Center for Student Diversity and Inclusion provides direct services, support, and resources to students through a commitment to diversity/multiculturalism as expressed through ability, age, ethnicity, gender, race, religion, sexual orientation, and socioeconomic differences.