Ensure that substance abuse policies and protocols best support students.

• Brittani Clarkson (Co-Lead), Katherine Dash (Co-Lead)
  
  1. Harm Reduction (Chair-Dr. Marti Trummer-Cabrera)

  Expanding access to risk-reduction resources, including Naloxone training and safe misuse strategies.
  Assessing prescription drug collection/return programs on campus in partnership with the Campus Pharmacy.
  2. Data & Evaluation (Katie Dash)

  Reviewing and finalizing the SUDAC Charter.
  Biennial Review in Progress: In compliance with the U.S. Department of Education, we are assessing the effectiveness of UH’s Drug and Alcohol Prevention Policy, identifying necessary changes, and ensuring consistent enforcement of disciplinary sanctions.
  3. Prevention (Amberley Ross)

  JED Recommendations 12.7–12.8 – Creating messaging campaigns to educate students on:Risks of substance use/misuse and opioid misuse.
  Dangers of mixing substances.
  Medical Amnesty Policy updates (awaiting approval):Incorporating policy information into applicable trainings.
  Adding language to syllabi.
  Benchmarking awareness strategies from other universities.
  4. Recovery & Support (Raquell Becker)

  Improving the referral process between SHS, CAPS, CIR, UH Wellness, DOS, faculty, advising, and student success teams.
  Seeking additional members for this subcommittee.

Teach students the skills necessary to cope with college life, make wise lifestyle choices and be academically succ

• Christie Penzien (Co-Lead), Brittani Clarkson (Co-Lead)

Creating evaluation tools to measure satisfaction, learning outcomes and attendance for College Success Courses. 

Continue the Don't Cancel Class campaign to get Life Skills programming into students' classes

Implement and assess sustainable programs that offer students the opportunity to build connections with others in their community.

• Marti Trummer-Cabrera, Ph.D. (Co-Lead), Eric Smith (Co-Lead)

Develop a database of UH peer mentor and ambassador programs.

Develop a database of places/spaces on campus for students to gather.

Next step is to make the databases searchable and publicize on CoogsCare and other webpages.

Ensure access to clinical care services, and enhance systems, protocols and processes to coordinate student care.

• Dr. Monica Lackups-Fuentes (Lead), Dr. Bradley Smith, Kolin Justice, Rania Elkhatib, Dr. Austin De La Cruz
• Priority: Expand mental health services for UH students. Increase from 4% to 8%
• Achieved: Added services Togetherall (online peer support network) and Welltrack Boost (self-help therapy tools)

Help campus community members to identify, reach out to, and refer students who may be struggling.

• Dr. Monica Lackups (Lead)

Working on connecting with local hospitals to improve re-entry process for hospitalized/transported students
Achieved: Embedded clinicians are now in NSM, Engineering and Bauer colleges, Rhonda Carson, LCSW starting with CAPS 10/6 as the new Mobile Response Clinician

Achieved: Outline of content for the folder. Next step- execute final designs and productions of Tool Kits

Promote help-seeking behavior through destigmatization efforts and increased access to resource information.

• Karen Jubert (Lead), Brittani Clarkson, Andres Acosta, Lori Selzer, Holly Alexander
• Priority: Develop, expand, or strengthen mental health training program for relevant campus faculty and staff in identifying, reaching out to, and referring students who may be struggling
• Achieved: First final draft of the You Can Help a Coog Training. Next step is to review feedback after Fall implementation (delivered by CAPS on Tuesdays)

Reinforce adequate and appropriate institutional response to student deaths or other emergencies, Strengthen established protocols for the reporting of, and follow-up to, emergency situations, and minimize environmental risks for suicide.

• Dr. Norma Ngo (Lead), UH PD representative, James Wright, Marcus Hicks, facilities member, upper administration member
• Priorities: Conduct an annual campus environmental scan to identify and mitigate access to lethal means, Develop or refine postvention protocol to be consistent with the HEMHA guide
• Achieved: Review and Summary of the HEMHA guide. Next step is to meet with post-vention stakeholders to review and align current process with JED recommendations.

Ensure that emotional well-being is a campus-wide responsibility. Advocate for policy and resource support.

• AVP Chris Dawe (Lead), Celina Sandoval, Ms. Germaine Washington, Dr. Melissa Pierson, Jennifer Bloom, Dr. Norma Ngo, Susan Moreno
• Priorities: Ensure the campus community is aware of the JED Campus strategic plan and the work of the task force, Offer a tuition insurance policy
• Achieved: Collaboration with University Marketing and Communications department to implement an internal mental health campaign, centering COOGS Care webpage.

Supporting life skills education is valuable in teaching healthy ways to cope with the stress of college life. Some of the life skills that are important to a student’s well-being include managing friendships and relationships, problem solving, decision making, identifying and managing emotions, healthy living, and finding life purpose, meaning and identity.

Research has shown that loneliness and isolation are significant risk factors for mental health problems and/or suicidal behavior. Therefore, supportive social relationships and feeling connected to campus, family and friends are protective factors that can help lower risk.

It is important to take action to identify students at risk for mental health problems and/or suicidal behavior, and also to promote emotional health awareness among those who interact with students the most — “gatekeepers” such as residence hall staff, academic advisors, faculty and even fellow students — as it is vital for these people to be able to recognize and refer a student who might be in distress.

Many students who need help may be reluctant or unsure of how to seek it out. Obstacles to help-seeking include lack of awareness of mental health services, skepticism about the effectiveness of treatment, prejudices associated with mental illness, and uncertainty about costs or insurance coverage. Campuses should engage in a variety of activities designed to increase the likelihood that a student in need will seek help.

It has been well established that if the means to self-harm are removed or limited in an environment, it can prevent suicide and even limit accidental deaths. This is called “means reduction.” Limiting students’ access to weapons, poisonous chemicals and rooftops, windows or other high places are all means reduction activities. Each campus should do an environmental scan for potential access to lethal or dangerous means.

The campus should have access to a well-publicized 24/7 crisis phone and/or chat line either through campus resources or local/national services. There should be a process in place to share information (as legally appropriate) between local ERs and school health and/or counseling services.

It is essential to offer accessible, consistent and high-quality mental health services to students. To make mental health and substance abuse care more comprehensive, it should include strong and flexible services, adequate staffing levels and staff diversity reflective of the student population, flexibility in treatment approaches, and clinic hours that are reflective of student schedules. Since most college clinics are free, the length of treatment is often limited. Therefore, it is important that campus mental health services can assist students in finding off-campus resources that can provide long-term care if needed.