The University of St. Francis (USF) in Fort Wayne, Indiana, proposes the Cougars Promoting Mental Health (CPMH) program. - The University of St. Francis (USF) in Fort Wayne, Indiana, proposes the Cougars Promoting Mental Health (CPMH) program to provide its 1,380 full-time undergraduate students with services that promote positive mental health and address substance use disorder (SUD) issues, toward the overall goal of preventing suicide. USF currently has very limited resources to serve students, with part-time counseling and no outreach, public education, or training on these topics available for students, staff, or faculty. CPMH will enable USF to provide expanded mental services (individual counseling and group sessions); new outreach activities and public education campaigns; and training for students, staff, and faculty in identifying and responding to students with mental health or SUD challenges. While services will be available to all undergraduates, athletes will be a population of focus. Over 32% of the student body are studentathletes. Because USF does not partner with the NCAA, the university received none of the training, assessments, public education, or outreach they provide. USF wants to provide its students with these supports through the CPMH program. Goals and objectives established for CPMH to improve the mental health of its students include: Goal 1: Build knowledge of university-wide student needs on mental health and SUD and coordinate with community partners to develop crisis response protocols and program referral mechanisms for students at risk for suicide, depression, mental illness, and/or SUDs. Objectives: USF’s CARE Team will discuss systemic problems that arise from individual cases; administer a Healthy Minds survey at the beginning and end of the grant period; develop a Healthy Minds Advisory Council (HMAC) composed of internal and external stakeholders; develop and annually review crisis response, postvention, and lethal means protocols; and develop formal referral agreements with community partners (one/year). Goal 2: Increase institutional capacity for providing services to students by mental health professionals to prevent suicide, address substance abuse, and support mental wellness. Objectives: Increase available counseling hours from 25 to 36 each week; develop a mechanism for obtaining counseling from other therapists as needed; and develop therapy groups on issues most pressing to USF students. Goal 3: Improve identification of individual USF student needs around mental health and SUD. Objectives: Provide QPR training to 25% of faculty and staff each year; provide QPR training to resident assistants (Year 1) and other student leaders (Years 2-3); develop training on traumainformed response and offer to faculty each semester; choose and offer a mental health and substance abuse assessment screening, conducted by the project coordinator and trained athletic staff, to students each semester; and review data from the contract counselor to determine and respond to trends. Goal 4: Increase student awareness and access of suicide and substance abuse prevention resources and recovery support services. Objectives: Develop and implement a comprehensive public education and outreach program on suicide, mental health, and substance abuse, offering at least one event or activity each month, to include programs on life skills, resilience, and social connectedness; develop a web page on mental health, suicide, and substance abuse with emergency information and a directory of services; written format of this material is to be developed and offered to students and families at the start of each academic year; increase student use of counseling services by 5% per year; and increase the number of students aware of services for mental health and substance from 82% to 92%. At least 1,000 students per year are anticipated to be served by this program through outreach, education, screening, and training activities and direct services in individual and group sessions for a total of 3,000 served during the life of the grant.
