Friday, May 23, 2025
5/23/2025
V-Hawk Strong: Removing stigma, embracing help, building resilience - Summary. Viterbo University will implement a new program for its La Crosse campus: V-Hawk Strong: Removing stigma, embracing help, building resilience to increase their capacity to implement, sustain, and improve effective suicide prevention, mental health prevention and treatment, and substance use prevention and treatment services in the Viterbo community. Population served. Viterbo University students, faculty, and staff shall be served by this project. Student populations of focus are men, LGBTQI+, students of color, student-survivors of sexual and dating violence and stalking, first-generation college students, and student athletes. Strategies/interventions. Create a network infrastructure; develop a plan to seek input from relevant community stakeholders to implement the program; administer voluntary mental health and substance use disorder screenings and assessments; train students, faculty, and staff to identify, respond effectively, and make appropriate referrals; promote 24/7 crisis services; provide outreach services about mental health and substance use disorder resources and services; disseminate informational materials to students, families, faculty, and staff; develop and implement educational seminars for students to enhance life skills, resilience, and promote social connectedness in alignment with campus initiatives; implement strategies to reduce access to lethal means among students with identified suicide risk; and conduct an assessment of the mental health and substance use disorder needs of students. Project goals and objectives. Goal 1. To create a culturally-relevant network infrastructure for Viterbo students. Objective 1.1. Seek input from six new stakeholders. Objective 1.2. Partner with Coulee Region Psychiatric medication prescriber, create a referral list of mental health providers used for warm-referrals as appropriate, and distribute mental health access information packets for students with out-of-network insurance. Objective 1.3. Dietitian will meet with 40 students to address disordered eating as a serious mental illness and develop and support best practices at Counseling Services. Goal 2. To ensure responsive students, faculty, and staff and effective Viterbo practices. Objective 2.1. Train 200 students, 30 faculty, and 30 staff to identify and respond effectively to students experiencing crisis. Objective 2.2. Introduce the Mental Health Continuum Short Form (MHC-SF) assessment to students; screen students accessing counseling through appropriate diagnostic screens; screen for eating disorders using the SCOFF Questionnaire; double the use of the volunteer screening tool ULifeLine. Objective 2.3. Implement three strategies to reduce access to lethal means among students with identified suicide risk each year. Goal 3. To create an aware, knowledgeable, and resilient student body empowered to help themselves and their peers. Objective 3.1. Develop and implement four educational seminars for students to enhance life skills and resilience, and promote social connectedness, aligned with campus initiatives and activities. Objective 3.2. Provide outreach services through outreach events to inform students about suicide awareness and prevention and mental health promotion, mental and substance use disorders, and recovery services; educate and disseminate electronic informational materials to students, families, faculty, and staff to increase awareness about suicide, suicide prevention, mental health promotion, substance use, and mental health and substance use disorders. Objective 3.3. Promote access and the availability of three 24/7 crisis services through local and national suicide prevention platforms. Objective 3.4. Support campus student groups to engage in educational activities, reduce negative attitudes about behavioral health disorders, and promote mental health. Number of people to be served. Year 1: 1,100, Year 2: 1,160, Year 3: 1,160, Lifetime of the project: 1,800.
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).