As you know, the JED Campus four-year initiative was introduced to the Willamette University community in the fall of 2021 as a way to support student well-being and mental health. We are currently halfway through year three of this project. Over the past year and a half, members of Willamette's JED Campus Committee have been actively working to implement Willamette's JED Strategic Plan action items.
Below are just a few of the committee's accomplishments in the Fall, 2023 semester.
- Thanks to the generous support of C.A.F.E.S., several 988 suicide intervention and prevention signs were installed proximate to the railroad tracks on the Salem campus
- Spread awareness of the JED Campus initiative at the CHASE Session Wellness Fair for all first year students on the Salem campus.
- Expanded social media and outreach efforts related to drug and alcohol harm reduction strategies, development of important life skills, suicide prevention resources, and demystifying crisis lines.
- Nearly 100 staff, faculty, students, and student leaders across campuses attended Q.P.R. training this fall.
- New “One Pager” emergency response poster in place and distributed across all campuses.
- Partnered with Oregon Health Authority to secure three Narcan opioid overdose reversal kits. These will be made available in prominent locations on our campuses, and should arrive in March - April, 2024.
- Expanded alcohol, drug, and mental health screening opportunities in Bishop Wellness Center.
- Expanded access to limited mental health medication management in Bishop Wellness Center.
- CAS Student/Faculty task-force presented mental health tips and resources at faculty meetings.
A sampling of the JED Committee goals for the Spring, 2024 semester are as follows:
- Enhance life skills programming
- Refine our Amnesty Policy to include a clearly articulated support process for any student returning to campus from an alcohol, drug, or mental health crisis related hospitalization
- Execute a multidisciplinary post-vention tabletop exercise
- Bishop Wellness Center website overhaul
- Implement empirically validated screening for Alcohol & Drug misuse and mental health conditions through Bishop Wellness Center
- Implement medicine/drug and sharps collection programs on campuses
- Implement Narcan access on Salem campus through OHA partnership.
As a reminder, we will administer a second Healthy Minds Study in the final year of our JED Campus initiative; likely in the fall of 2024. Results from the second Healthy Minds Study, along with insights gained from our collective work thus far will inform our strategic priorities long after our 4 year JED initiative officially concludes.