The University of Washington is leading a new, four-year collaboration aimed at promoting mental health and preventing suicide at colleges and universities around the state.
The initiative is a partnership between Forefront: Innovations in Suicide Prevention—an organization in the UW School of Social Work—and the New York-based Jed Foundation, which focuses on protecting emotional health and preventing suicide among college students. The effort kicked off May 10 at a Forefront conference in Bellevue, where 12 schools invited to participate met to learn about the program.
“We are working proactively in a very large-scale way to address suicide prevention,” said Jennifer Stuber, Forefront’s co-founder and faculty director.
“By involving colleges and universities around the state, we think we can have a powerful impact in helping to reduce suicides. These campuses can be leaders for the rest of the state.”