Friday, May 9, 2025
5/9/2025
USC Upstate GLS Suicide Prevention Grant: Spartans Helping Spartans - The University of South Carolina Upstate (USC Upstate) requests funding from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s GLS Campus Suicide Prevention Program to implement a new three-tier health and wellness program called Spartans Helping Spartans (SHS). The target population is first-year, first-generation, Pell-eligible, and transfer students. These target populations align with a campus-wide strategic retention initiative titled “Reimagine Upstate .”In South Carolina, age-adjusted suicide rates have steadily increased over the past decade, from 13.5 deaths per 100,000 (637) in 2010 to 16.2 deaths per 100,000 (852) in 2019. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the USC-Upstate Counseling Center has seen an increasing number of students seeking counseling services. Additionally, in recent years, USC Upstate has seen an increase in students seeking withdrawals for extenuating circumstances and submissions of incident/student of concern reports. USC Upstate will develop a comprehensive, collaborative, well-coordinated, and evidence-based approach to enhance USC Upstate mental health infrastructure for all students, including those at risk for suicide, depression, serious mental illness (SMI)/serious emotional disturbances (SED), and/or substance use disorders that can lead to school dropout. The goal of SHS includes (1) increasing engagement between Counseling Services and the student population, (2) developing early identification and primary prevention services for at-risk students, (3) increasing staffing for mental health services and preventative intervention, and (4) improve the relationship with community service providers. The desired SHS outcomes are to increase student connectedness and foster belonging, reduce negative attitudes about mental health and substance use disorders and encourage help-seeking behavior.
HHS’ Tracking Accountability in Government Grants System (TAGGS) website provides access to detailed descriptions of grants, loans, aggregated direct payments and other types of financial assistance awarded by the HHS Operating Divisions (OPDIVs) and the Office of the Secretary Staff Divisions (STAFFDIVs).