WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) joined a bipartisan group of senators in introducing legislation—led by U.S. Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and Tim Scott (R-S.C.)—to help improve college students’ mental health and incentivize higher education institutions to develop and implement comprehensive mental health and suicide prevention plans.
“The college years can be a wonderful time for many young adults, but they can also be a time of increased anxiety and stress – especially over the past few years,” Senator Capito said. “While many colleges and universities have put in place plans to promote positive mental health and suicide prevention, ensuring our federal agencies overseeing health and education are working together to encourage and help in the creation and implementation of these plans will hopefully contribute to preventing future tragedies.”
The Enhancing Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Through Campus Planning Act would amend the Higher Education Act, and require the U.S. Department of Education (ED) and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to collaborate and encourage higher education institutions like universities and colleges to create proactive plans for preventing suicide and promote positive mental health among students to address the mental health crisis. These plans would align with strategies recommended by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) Suicide Prevention Resource Center, specifically its nine-part Comprehensive Approach to Suicide Prevention.
The text of the legislation can be found here.
In the House, the bill passed with overwhelming bipartisan support in June. The legislation has been endorsed by a number of mental health, education, and youth advocacy organizations.
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