College of Western Idaho (CWI) has received a significant boost in its mission to promote mental health awareness and suicide prevention. Jodi Hickenlooper, Assistant Director of CWI's Counseling and Wellness Services, has been awarded a three-year federal grant totaling $306,000. The grant will fund an additional licensed counselor to increase mental health support as well as suicide prevention services on the college campus.
Named the Garret Lee Smith Campus Suicide Prevention Grant, it is awarded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). The grant's goal is to promote a comprehensive and evidence-based approach to enhance mental health services for all students, particularly those at risk for suicide, depression, serious mental illness, and substance use disorders. It also seeks to prevent mental and substance use disorders, promote help-seeking behavior, and reduce negative public attitudes. Lastly, the grant aims to improve the identification and treatment of at-risk students, enabling them to complete their studies.
Counseling and Wellness Services applied for the grant to augment their capacity to improve mental health and substance use prevention and treatment services for their students. A significant part of their planned implementation involves hiring an additional mental health counselor to directly serve students and coordinate program initiatives.
Under the grant, the focus will be on supporting low-income, first-generation students and other high-risk groups like veterans. Some of the grant goals include the creation of a Care Council — a body that includes community stakeholders to address the need for coordination and community linkages. They also aim to increase help-seeking behavior among CWI students through outreach and training, promote social connectedness, and maintain ongoing data collection to identify student needs and guide future mental health initiatives.
In winning the grant, CWI was ably supported by the team at McAllister & Quinn. The team played a crucial role in keeping the grant application process on schedule, gathering required data, meeting all the grant requirements, and writing the project narrative. Their guidance ensured that CWI had a strong application.
Thanks to this federal grant, CWI stands to make significant strides in enhancing mental health and suicide prevention efforts on its campus, contributing to a safer, healthier college community.
For any questions, please contact Counseling and Wellness Services at counselor@cwi.edu or 208.562.2200.
