Lessons from the Wellness Blueprint Convening: Cultivating Foundations for Statewide Student Mental Health Policy

State Higher Education Executive Officers. 3035 Center Green Suite 100, Boulder, CO 80301. Tel: 303-541-1600; Fax: 303-541-1639; e-mail: sheeo@sheeo.org; Web site: http://www.sheeo.org

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14

Lumina Foundation

College Students; Mental Health; Minority Group Students; Access to Health Care; Cultural Relevance; Barriers; State Policy; Cooperation; Policy Formation; Data Use

Arizona; Louisiana; Texas; Oregon; Pennsylvania

Inadequate campus support for student mental health, such as student isolation, long wait times, understaffing, and underfunding, predates 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic, however, contributed to growing students' mental health needs and exacerbating preexisting conditions resulting in a failure to support students adequately. In 2023, more than 60 percent of college students met the criteria for at least one mental health concern -- a nearly 50 percent increase since 2013 -- according to the Healthy Minds Study. The impacts of the mental health crisis have been particularly pronounced for historically underrepresented and underserved students, including students of color, students from low-income circumstances, and LGBTQIA+ students, who experience greater disparities in access to mental health care. Systemic inequities, mental health disparities (related to both additive stressors and lower access to care), and higher levels of harassment and violence, exacerbated by the pandemic, have rendered these populations more vulnerable to mental health risks, in comparison to peers from less marginalized groups. There have been some signs of improvement. In 2022, 36 percent of students indicated they received mental health counseling -- a 7 percent increase from 2020. Institution-specific interventions and solutions have also shown some success. Yet widespread equitable access to culturally responsive mental health care continues to be a barrier for most college students. The growing need for systemic, policy-driven approaches at the state and system level is clear.

ERIC

2025

ED675536