PROJECT SAFETY NET AT MORNINGSIDE COLLEGE - The purpose of Project Safety NET (Networking, Education, Training) at Morningside College in Sioux City, Iowa, is to develop and implement a comprehensive campus-wide suicide prevention program that will build upon current efforts to prevent student suicidal ideation, threats, attempts, and completions and enhance services for students with mental and behavioral health problems that put them at risk for suicide and suicide attempts. The project takes its name from The Jed Foundation's slogan - Strengthening the Mental Health Safety Net for College Students. The goals are to: (1) Build a stronger networking infrastructure; (2) Increase awareness of mental and behavioral health issues in the college community through education of students, faculty, staff, and families of students (3) Provide training regarding suicide awareness and prevention to key staff, faculty, and student leaders on campus; and (4) Become a regional resource center for campus suicide prevention. Measurable objectives to meet these goals include: (1) establish Memoranda of Understanding with local police and emergency personnel; (2) formalize the Siouxland College Postvention Team; (3) implement a social marketing campaign; (4) develop a stronger Web presence for Counseling Services; (5) increase the dissemination of literature on mental and behavioral health to students, parents, faculty, and staff; (6) improve on-campus educational seminars on mental and behavioral health by bringing in off-campus experts from the community; (7) provide appropriate training for personal counselors, faculty, staff, and student leaders; (8) organize and host an annual regional conference on suicide prevention; and (9) build a resource library on suicide prevention that will be available to other institutions via interlibrary loan.
