Simmons Joins JED Campus To Support Student Mental Health

We are pleased to announce that Simmons University has been selected to join JED Campus, a nationwide initiative of The Jed Foundation (JED).that supports student well-being and mental health.

Currently more than 400 campuses are engaged in the JED Campus program, which helps 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.

By becoming a JED Campus, Simmons will join a multi-year strategic collaboration that not only assesses and enhances work that is already being done, but also helps create positive, lasting, and systemic change. The program provides Simmons with a framework for supporting student mental health, as well as assessment tools, feedback reports, a strategic plan, and ongoing support from the JED Higher Education team.

The very first step in Simmons’s JED Campus journey is participation in the Healthy Minds Study.. This survey will collect information from students about mental health, knowledge of campus resources and supports, and utilization of those resources. The data obtained through this survey will provide baseline information for the JED Campus process.

Students can expect to receive an email invitation to participate in the survey on *Monday, February 13*. The survey invitation will come from Dr. Renique Kersh at the [email protected] email address. *The survey will be open until Friday, March 3*. To find out more information about the survey, students can visit the FAQ page on the Healthy Minds Network website..

As part of Simmons’ membership in JED Campus, we will also establish an interdisciplinary, campus-wide team to assess, support and implement program, policy, and system improvements.

In addition, Simmons must complete a confidential, self-assessment survey on its mental health promotion, substance use, and suicide prevention efforts. Upon completion of the assessment, JED subject matter experts will provide us with a comprehensive feedback report – identifying successes and opportunities for enhancements. Over the course of four years, Simmons will collaborate with JED to help implement enhancements. All self-assessment responses and feedback reports are confidential.

Student mental health is a top priority, and we are excited to participate in the JED Campus program. This initiative is another step that will help us implement the sustainable resources, programs, and policies to foster a safe and thriving campus community. If you have any questions, please contact Beth Grampetro.