Connecticut College has received a $75,000 grant to support comprehensive suicide prevention and awareness programs on campus.

The Connecticut Campus Suicide Prevention Initiative, administered through the Wheeler Clinic, is funded by the Connecticut Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services’ Center for Mental Health Services and the Garrett Lee Smith Memorial Act. This federal legislation provides grants to states, tribes and colleges to support suicide prevention efforts and initiatives.

“This grant will help improve the campus environment for students struggling with mental health issues,” said Janet Spoltore, director of Student Counseling Services at the college. “Additionally, by building awareness we will help reduce the stigma associated with mental illness and create a real community of care.”

The grant will help fund training for students, faculty and staff to increase awareness about issues related to mental health and to help them respond effectively to students with mental health and substance use issues. It also will help the college enhance its connections with local health care providers who treat mental health and substance use issues.

“Our goal is to enhance each individual’s ability to learn, create and be fully participating members of the college community by utilizing safe, culturally sensitive and inclusive approaches to mental health treatment,” Spoltore said. “This grant will support those efforts.”

Connecticut’s Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (DMHAS) improves the quality of life of the people of Connecticut by providing an integrated network of comprehensive, effective and efficient mental health and addiction services that foster self-sufficiency, dignity and respect. DMHAS funds the Connecticut Campus Suicide Prevention Initiative, which is managed through the Wheeler Clinic in Plainville, Conn.

About Connecticut College

Situated on the coast of southern New England, Connecticut College is a highly selective private liberal arts college with 1900 students from all across the country and throughout the world. On the college’s 750-acre arboretum campus overlooking Long Island Sound, students and faculty create a vibrant social, cultural and intellectual community enriched by diverse perspectives. The college, founded in 1911, is known for its unique combination of interdisciplinary studies, international programs, funded internships, student-faculty research and service learning. For more information, visit www.connecticutcollege.edu.