Grand Rapids Community College

The GRCC Campus Suicide Prevention Program will build capacity for facilitating mental health education and suicide prevention. Activities will center on creating a strong community network, implementing a Crisis Response Plan, and providing training and education to promote awareness of the need for better understanding of mental health issues and to encourage positive help-seeking behaviors.

Population to be served: The project will serve community college students in Grand Rapids, Michigan. This population will include students who are: low income, academically at-risk, traditional/non-traditional students, and minority students. Targeted student populations are veterans, LGBTQ, and students with disabilities.

Strategies/interventions: REACH© Training Sessions and Mental Health First Aid Training for faculty, staff, and students; suicide prevention and mental health awareness events and campaigns; integration of training into mandatory courses; education seminars and workshops.

Project goals:

1. GRCC will have a strong networking infrastructure that links its campuses with community partners and ensures students, faculty, and staff have access to a broad range of resources;
2. GRCC will have a Crisis Response Plan outlining the protocols for a coordinated response to a crisis on campus including a suicide attempt;
3. GRCC faculty, staff, and students will be trained as gatekeepers;
4. GRCC will implement suicide prevention programming to promote a strong awareness of the need for better understanding of mental health and wellness issues and to encourage positive help-seeking behaviors.

Measurable objectives:

1. The number of organizations collaborating/coordinating/sharing resources with other organizations as a result of the grant;
2. The number of individuals exposed to mental health awareness messages
3. The number of people in the mental health and related workforce trained in mental health-related practices/activities as a result of the grant; 
4. The number of individuals who have received training in prevention or mental health promotion.

People to be served annually: 26 (year 1); 9,600 (year 2); 9,600 (year 3) People to be served throughout the lifetime of the project: 19,226