The City University of New York School of Public Health

With 23 campuses, the City University of New York (CUNY) is the nation's largest and most diverse public university. Its largely low-income student body faces a variety of challenges, including housing instability and food insecurity, as well as physical and mental health problems, including depression. A recent survey indicates that while 20 percent of CUNY undergraduate students met the criteria for depression, 50 percent of these students did not think they needed help for their problem and 90 percent did not seek help from campus-based counseling or other mental health services. This pilot project will support the training of 15 college student “Health Ambassadors” to encourage students to get help for depression and to help shape a communications campaign; better training on depression screening and counseling for mental health counselors and employees at student health centers; and better linkages between these CUNY Bronx campuses and local mental health clinics. The program will be conducted at CUNY's three Bronx campuses: Bronx Community College, Hostos Community College, and Lehman College. If successful, the program will be expanded to other CUNY campuses.

 
Published
Feb. 19, 2015
Amount
100,000