NEOMED is pleased to announce that it has successfully completed the four-year JED program and received the official designation as a JED Campus. This designation not only provides confirmation from a national leader in emotional health that NEOMED has the services and resources in place to support our students’ mental health, but also that we are now linked to a broad national community of leaders and experts to ensure that we remain vigilant to the evolving need and issues around this important agenda.
The Jed Foundation is the leading national nonprofit organization that protects emotional health and prevents suicide for our nation's teens and young adults. It partners with high schools and colleges to strengthen their mental health, substance misuse, and suicide prevention programs and systems. The JED Campus Program assesses fidelity to the comprehensive mental health approach and supports the development of strategic plans to improve students’ emotional well-being.
By working with NEOMED’s campus leaders and professionals, JED helps to create campus-wide prevention and intervention strategies and advises our campus on best-practice mental health policies, programs and services. The Ohio Program for Campus Safety and Mental Health, in collaboration with the JED Foundation and Peg’s Foundation (a NEOMED partner organization), developed the Ohio Healthy Campus Initiative. The Ohio Healthy Campus Initiative is a cohort of campuses that are participating in the JED Campus Program and the Healthy Minds Study.
During the past four years, NEOMED has convened with campus stakeholders from a cross-section of Ohio colleges and universities to discuss the Healthy Minds Study annual data and to learn about implementing best practices on campus. [Watch The Pulse for more on these topics.]
Jessica Zavala, M.P.A., manager of the Ohio Program for Campus Safety and Mental Health (OPCSMH), and Kay A. Seibert, M.Ed., M.D.S., coordinator of the MOUD/Opiate Project in the Department of Psychiatry, have been identified as NEOMED’s “JED Leads” and will continue participating in the JED Learning Community to ensure continuous quality improvement in the area of mental health and suicide prevention services, education, and support for the NEOMED community. Jennifer Dougall, Ph.D., director of Counseling Services at the Center for Student Wellness and Counseling Services, and Sandra Emerick, Ed.D., senior executive director, Academic Affairs and Student Services, served as committee members and assisted with the application and self-study process.
-Submitted by Sandra M. Emerick, Ed.D., senior executive director, Academic Affairs and Student Services