New Jersey is funding a new program that provides 24/7 access to free, virtual mental health ... [+]
The state of New Jersey has launched a new, ground-breaking partnership designed to provide enhanced mental health services to all students attending 44 colleges and universities in the state.
The partnership, announced this week by Governor Phil Murphy and New Jersey Secretary of Higher Education Dr. Brian Bridges and described as the first of its kind in the nation, involves contracting with Uwill, a mental health and wellness platform founded in 2020. The new program will provide 24/7 access to free, virtual mental health services for students enrolled in one of the eligible institutions that have opted into the program.
All higher education institutions in New Jersey receiving any state aid were eligible for the new program, and 96% elected to participate including institutions such as Rutgers University, Drew University, Farleigh Dickinson University, Monmouth University, Princeton University, and many of the state’s community colleges.
The partnership comes at a time when colleges across the nation are identifying student mental health needs as one of their most pressing issues. The counseling centers as most institutions have seen a surge in their mental health case loads and are straining to be able to meet those needs. In a fall 2021 questionnaire conducted by the Office of the Secretary of Higher Education, over 70% of New Jersey students rated their stress and anxiety levels as higher or much higher than the previous year, with 40% of students indicating they were concerned about their mental health in light of the pandemic.
By partnering directly with Uwill, New Jersey becomes the first state in the nation to offer comprehensive tele-mental health services to college students through a statewide system that includes both public and private institutions of higher education.
The Uwill partnership provides students with access to a group of licensed and qualified mental health therapists who are trained in multicultural approaches to mental health to ensure the needs of underrepresented students will be met. Virtual mental health support will be available from Uwill’s providers all hours of the day, 365 days a year, at no cost to students or the institution of higher education itself.
The program offers three kinds of services to students: individual sessions with a licensed therapist, immediate crisis intervention, and a slate of wellness activities, such as yoga and mindfulness exercises. Within minutes, a student can schedule an appointment with an available therapist. Many appointments are requested and completed the same day. If a student is determined to be in crisis, a connection is made usually within 30 seconds.
Students who need medication are handled through appropriate referrals. Uwill therapists do not prescribe medication. Contacts with the therapists are conducted via video, phone, chat and message formats, and are conducted with HIPAA and FERPA compliance. If a student wants to continue interacting with the same therapist, that wish is accommodated. If, however, the student prefers switching to someone else, that change is also arranged.
“With the challenges these past few years have presented, young people around New Jersey and the nation are facing a mental health crisis like never before. It is incumbent upon us to do everything in our power to provide young people with access to the support they need, which is something my Administration will continue to prioritize,” said Governor Murphy, as part of the announcement. “Making teletherapy services available to countless college students on campuses throughout our state is a key component of our ongoing efforts to address the mental health needs of our young people and promote safe and inclusive learning environments in New Jersey.”
Financial support for the partnership comes in the form of $10 million in American Rescue Plan funds, allocated in New Jersey’s Fiscal Year 2023 budget for tele-mental health supports. That funding complements the state’s previous $16 million investment for institutions of higher education to develop community partnerships that would increase their capacity to meet the mental health needs of students. Those dollars were allocated to eligible institutions based on a two-part formula: 1) a flat dollar amount awarded to all institutions in a sector based on the sector’s percentage share of the state’s overall student enrollment; and 2) the institution’s total student enrollment.
The New Jersey program also reflects the fact that Governor Murphy has made youth mental health the focus of his chair’s initiative, while he serves as the current chair of the National Governors Association.
Murphy described the need for that initiative this way: “As leaders, one of the most important and sacred responsibilities is protecting the health and well-being of our kids, and for far too long, mental health and well-being of our young people has been overlooked, and the consequences are impossible to miss. From small towns to big cities, America’s youth mental health crisis is playing out in homes, schools, hospitals and beyond.”
Uwill Founder and CEO Michael London said in the state’s announcement, “Our mission is to expand mental health care so that every student has access to quality mental health support. We’re committed to removing obstacles to therapy while also complementing existing campus offerings so every student has the resources and support they need to thrive.”
London told me that Uwill now has contracts with about 150 schools. Those contracts range from $25,000 - $700,000 annually depending on the how many of the three service components a college wants Uwill to provide, the duration of those services, and the size of the school. Nationally, Uwill now includes about 1,000 therapists in its group of clinicians, but that number is likely to grow as more colleges look for ways to complement their on-campus mental health resources.
“I think we may look back and see mental health as one of the defining higher education issues of our times, and Governor Murphy’s commitment to serving the mental health of New Jersey college students will be regarded as one of the nation’s most remarkable responses to that challenge,” said London.
