HOUSTON (Feb. 6, 2024) —Committed to the wellness and well-being of its students, staff, and faculty, the University of Houston-Downtown (UHD) continues to improve its mental health services. To that end, UHD recently joined JED Campus to assess and enhance services for mental health, substance misuse and suicide prevention efforts over a four-year period for positive, lasting, systemic change in the campus community.
JED Campus is a nationwide initiative of The Jed Foundation, designed to provide schools with a multi-year collaboration for supporting student mental health, as well as assessment tools, feedback reports, a strategic plan, and ongoing support from the JED Higher Education team. There are currently more than 400 campuses engaged in the JED Campus program.
This initiative is the latest in UHD’s series of improvements in mental health care and services for its students, faculty, and staff, including restructuring its Counseling Services. In 2022, UHD received a grant from the Trellis Foundation to provide students with wraparound services to support their mental health. Last year UHD offered more than 3,500 counseling sessions, and its Student Counseling Services and Office of Disability Services worked together to train more than 150 faculty and staff members, including the entire campus police staff, in Mental Health First Aid.
“Mental health struggles are non-discriminatory, affecting individuals of all ages and walks of life, on and off our campus,” said UHD President Loren J. Blanchard. “We are, therefore, vigilant in our efforts to de-stigmatize mental illness, increase access to care, and support ongoing learning.” President Blanchard believes improvement is a continuous process. “By joining JED campus, we at the University of Houston-Downtown are strengthening our mental health care efforts and working to ensure sustainability.”
“The college years are the age when many mental health issues first manifest, and it can be a time of significant stress and pressure,” said John MacPhee, Chief Executive Officer of JED. “JED Campus helps schools by working with them to survey everything their college or university is doing to support their students’ emotional health and find practical ways to augment these efforts in a comprehensive way. We believe that the implementation of a campus-wide approach to mental health will lead to safer, healthier communities, and likely greater student retention.”
The University of Houston Downtown’s membership in JED Campus is led by Dr. Lisa Joyner, Vice President for Student Success and Student Life, and Dr. Toi Durham, Associate Professor and Director, Bachelor of Science in Nursing.
For more informatin about UHD, visit uhd.edu. For more information about JED Campus, visit https://jedfoundation.org/our-work/higher-ed/
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ABOUT THE UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON-DOWNTOWN
Celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2024, the University of Houston-Downtown (UHD) is the second-largest university in Houston and has served the educational needs of the nation’s fourth-largest city since 1974. As one of four distinct public universities in the University of Houston System, UHD is a comprehensive, four-year university led by President Loren J. Blanchard. Annually, UHD educates approximately 14,000 students, boasts more than 67,000 alumni, and offers 45 bachelor’s degrees, 12 master’s degrees, and 19 online programs within four colleges: Marilyn Davies College of Business, College of Humanities and Social Sciences, College of Public Service, and College of Sciences and Technology. UHD has one of the lowest tuition rates in Texas.
U.S. News and World Report ranked UHD among the nation’s Best Online Bachelor’s Programs for Applied Administration and Best Online Master’s Programs in Criminal Justice, as well as a Top Performer in Social Mobility. The Wall Street Journal/College Pulse ranked UHD one of the best colleges in the U.S. for its 2024 rankings, with notable distinctions: No. 1 for diversity (tied) and No. 3 for student experience. TheStockWatcher.com called UHD a “notable institution providing high-quality online MBA programs. … UHD ensures that its graduates are well-prepared to succeed in their chosen career paths.”
The University is designated as a Hispanic-Serving Institution, a Minority-Serving Institution, and a Military Friendly School. For more information on the University of Houston-Downtown, visit uhd.edu.