New centre for mental health provides important help to college students

TORONTO, March 26, 2013 /CNW/ - Ontario's colleges are pleased to see the announcement of funding for a new centre for innovation in campus mental health that will improve the delivery of services for students throughout the province.

"This issue is a priority for Ontario's colleges," said Linda Franklin, president and CEO of Colleges Ontario. "This new centre will improve access to support and expertise to better serve people with mental health issues."

Funding for the new centre was announced today by Training, Colleges and Universities Minister Brad Duguid. The centre will be run in partnership by Colleges Ontario, the Council of Ontario Universities, the College Student Alliance, the Ontario Undergraduate Student Alliance and the Canadian Mental Health Association Ontario.

The centre will provide several new functions, including a site to share best practices, improvements in the coordination of services and new measures to help front-line providers at colleges and universities get access to specialized experts in the field.

The new centre builds on recommendations from a conference held in Toronto last year addressing mental health challenges in post-secondary education. That conference, called Focus on Mental Health, heard personal stories from students and explored the difficulties post-secondary institutions can face when delivering support, including the stigma around mental health that prevents many people from seeking help.

"The research shows people ages 15 to 24 are the ones who are least likely to seek help," Franklin said. "We must do everything we can to ensure students and staff members know effective help is available. This new centre marks an important step forward in the delivery of services and support."

SOURCE: Colleges Ontario

Karen Horsman
Manager, Media Relations and Communications
Colleges Ontario
647-258-7670
[email protected]