Bloomfield College to Assess and Enhance Mental Health, Substance Use, and Suicide Prevention Efforts in Partnership with The Jed Foundation (JED)
Bloomfield College announced that it has joined JED Campus in support of student well-being and mental health. The program is a nationwide initiative of The Jed Foundation (JED) designed to help schools evaluate and strengthen their mental health, substance misuse and suicide prevention programs and systems to ensure that schools have the strongest possible mental health safety nets.
“There is a critical need for mental health education, substance abuse programs and suicide prevention initiatives across all colleges and universities and Bloomfield College is no exception. Thanks to funding support from Partners for Health Foundation, , we are now connected to The Jed Foundation and participating in JED Campus. With a background in counseling, I know this partnership will enhance our existing efforts to help our students overcome their struggle with mental illness,” said Bloomfield College President, Marcheta P. Evans, Ph.D.
“The college years are the age when many mental health issues first manifest, and it can be a time of significant stress and pressure,” said John MacPhee, Executive Director of JED. “JED Campus 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 communities, and likely greater student retention.”
Bloomfield College’s membership in JED Campus begins with establishing an interdisciplinary, campus-wide team to assess, support and implement program, policy, and system improvements and completing a confidential, self-assessment survey on its mental health promotion, substance abuse, and suicide prevention efforts. Upon completion of the assessment, JED Campus clinicians provide schools with a comprehensive feedback report identifying successes and opportunities for enhancements. Over the course of four years, Bloomfield College will collaborate with JED to help implement enhancements. All self-assessment responses and feedback reports are confidential.