2 Services and Support Progress

The Services and Support task force provided recommendations to enhance support options available to students, improve access to resources on all campuses, and continuously collect data to better serve the student population.

RECOMMENDATION 1: Under the auspices of the new Vice President for Student Success (VPSS), organize a group across campuses to ensure that baseline services are met, while recognizing the individual needs of campuses.

 Actions:

• OCHO is now part of VPSS and leverages these partnerships to amplify and expand services to students at all IU campuses.
• OCHO staff monitors progress of mental health strategic plan, and provides accountability to VPSS, the mental health advisory council, and the strategic plan task forces regarding progress toward goals.
• Beginning in fall 2022, OCHO began conducting surveys each semester to measure student perceptions on the quality and accessibility of mental health resources on all IU campuses. FY23 surveys will provide benchmark numbers to comprehensively show impact of the Student Mental Health Initiative.
• The university-wide faculty/staff mental health advisory council, which is composed of representatives from all IU campuses, meets twice a semester to receive updates on the strategic plan and to provide guidance and advice on next steps.

RECOMMENDATIONS 2 and 3: Increase the number and diversity of providers where appropriate to deliver culturally competent care to our increasingly diverse student body. Increase the offering of group counseling where appropriate to serve more students.  Improve the schedule of when services are offered and ensure that they meet the various needs of students. Contract with telehealth providers to fill gaps where necessary or to meet the needs of specific populations. Ensure that after-hours, non-emergent support is available to students in mental distress. Create a triage service to help with referrals and overflow, directing students to services and support across the mental health continuum, from help with stress to long term care to acute and critical situations.

Actions:

• IU has partnered with TimelyCare, a virtual mental health platform that went live at IU on May 8, 2023; TimelyCare is on track to enroll at least 5% of IU students within the first semester with 15% enrollment as the target for a well-established program. TimelyCare offers:
  • 24/7 Talk Now services which enable students to get support as needed at all hours.
  • Scheduled counseling service offers appointments outside of regular business hours to ensure that students can find help within their schedules.
  • Psychiatric services are available for the campuses that did not offer such services (IU Bloomington and IU Indianapolis continue to offer in-person psychiatric services on campus).
  • More than 50% of TimelyCare’s counselors identify as BIPOC, and students can search for counselors based on factors such as ethnicity and specialty area of care.
  • TimelyCare works with each campus to ensure that students in crisis are directed to the appropriate resources and referred to the campus care teams for their assistance and situational awareness.
• Efforts are ongoing to improve diversity and cultural competence among counseling staff on all IU campuses; for example, IUB CAPS is working intentionally to increase staff diversity by FY25.

RECOMMENDATION 4: Determine how mental health services might be offered to online students, many of whom live in Indiana near a campus, though are not served by CAPS or counseling services or centers.

Actions:

• TimelyCare services are available to online students.
• ThrivingCampus, a platform that helps connect students with mental health care providers in the area, is now available on all IU campuses, and may be used by online students. Initial usage data show that IU Indianapolis, which has used the platform for several years, has the highest number of referrals and connections to providers; uptake has been very slow so far on regional campuses. Effectiveness of the platform will continue to be monitored.

RECOMMENDATION 5: Expand case management services to follow up with students with concerning issues.

Actions:

• OCHO contributed funding to hire a resource coordinator at IU Kokomo for two years starting in FY24; this is a pilot to determine the level of need on regional campuses for ensuring that students are connected with services and resources to fulfill basic needs.
• OCHO and UITS continue to work with all campuses toward an enterprise solution for electronic medical records systems (EMRs) to unify recordkeeping and resource management; OCHO will fund IU East’s adoption of Titanium and has funded IU Southeast’s expansion of Titanium services; IU Bloomington has historically used an EMR that serves both the Student Health Center and CAPS, and is exploring whether a move to Titanium will meet its needs.
• The university-wide student mental health website, which was established in 2022, links to campus-based and community resources on each campus for issues such as substance use disorder and gambling, in addition to resources related to individual counseling and group therapy.

RECOMMENDATION 6: Enhance services and programs that focus on particular stressors and groups at increased risk.

Actions:

• OCHO conducted a review of each campuses’ care team to ensure representation from student affairs and follow up for mental health concerns arising out of an incident.
• The university-wide mental health website highlights the MoneySmarts program, which promotes financial wellness for students on all campuses, under the “Basic Needs” tile of resources. In the coming years, IU will participate in the Trellis Student Financial Wellness Survey, which will enhance the university’s ability to understand student finances, access to basic needs, and the level of support students feel at IU, and will facilitate a closer partnership between OCHO and the Office of Financial Wellness to address student needs.
• OCHO has partnered with ManualCare, a platform dedicated to helping college-aged men, particularly men of color, overcome stigma around talking about mental health concerns and seeking assistance; the program is piloting on the Bloomington campus in 2023 .
• OCHO sponsored a panel discussion event in conjunction with the grand opening of the Irsay Institute that focused on cultural barriers to students’ seeking help for mental health issues.
• The student mental health advisory councils on each campus offer ideas on reaching underserved populations.
• Data from regular surveys and TimelyCare utilization will inform allocation of resources to ensure that underserved populations receive mental health care.