Hollins is partnering with a national nonprofit organization that focuses on protecting the emotional health of young adults to build upon the university’s existing student mental health, substance use, and suicide prevention efforts.

Through The Jed Foundation (JED), which for more than 20 years has helped colleges and universities strengthen their support networks and emotional safety nets, Hollins is participating in an initiative called JED Campus Fundamentals, which will guide the university through the development of systems, programs, and policies that prioritize student well-being.

In conjunction with experts from the fields of adolescent psychology, suicidology, and public health, JED worked with the National Suicide Prevention Resource Center to produce a comprehensive strategy for promoting mental health and lowering suicide risk. “Everything Hollins is going to go through as a JED campus relates back to that approach,” explained Ethan Fields, director of higher education program outreach and promotion at JED. “It starts with helping the campus really look at and evaluate how it can infuse natural, therapeutic life skills development throughout the student experience.”

Together, Fields said, Hollins and JED will consider an array of factors, including social connectedness; identifying students early on before a crisis occurs; evaluating current services on campus and in the community related to mental and physical health and substance use; and crisis management.