Jed & Clinton Health Matters Campus Program

In an attempt to combat the two leading causes of death in young adults, more than 55 universities and colleges have partnered with the Jed & Clinton Health Matters Campus Program. The goal is to prevent deaths caused by prescription drug overdoses or alcohol poisoning, and suicide, according to USA Today. The Jed Foundation and Clinton Foundation will work together to evaluate substance abuse, mental health and suicide prevention programs at the participating schools.

Participants include:

• NYU
• Cornell
• Georgetown
• Boston University
• Princeton
• UCLA

“There’s nothing out there this large and comprehensive that I’m aware of that does this, and including substance abuse is pretty novel as well,” said Greg Eells, Director of Counseling and Psychological Services at Cornell’s Gannett Health Services.

Self-assessment surveys on current mental health promotion, substance abuse and suicide prevention programming will be given to each participating school. The findings will then be compared to a comprehensive set of recommended practices. Each institution will be given customized feedback, such as ideas for improvements and support.

“The college years are the age when many mental health issues first manifest, and it can be a time of significant stress and pressure,” John MacPhee, Executive Director of The Jed Foundation, said in a news release. “The Jed and Clinton Health Matters Campus Program helps schools by working with them to survey everything their university is doing to support their students’ emotional health, and find practical ways to augment these efforts in a comprehensive way. We believe that the implementation of a campus-wide approach to mental health will lead to safer, healthier campuses, and likely greater student retention.”

The colleges have made a four-year commitment to the program.