Under fire for cutting campus mental health counseling, Pa. community college adds new services
Intelligencer JournalNov 15, 2019
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Two months after eliminating mental health counseling on campus, causing confusion and concern among students, Pennsylvania’s largest community college announced Thursday it has contracted with a
HACC, Central Pennsylvania’s
Feeling suicidal, she turned to her college. But it had just cut campus mental health services.
Mazzitti & Sullivan, which already provides mental health services for HACC employees, has three offices in the
The college’s announcement comes after a series of reports by Spotlight PA documenting how students have been struggling to get care since the college stopped group and individual mental health counseling in September. HACC made the change without notifying students and before it had finalized arrangements for an alternate counseling provider.
HACC should listen to students regarding on-campus mental health counseling [opinion]
College health experts said eliminating on-campus counseling is risky given the persistent rise in the number of students experiencing depression, anxiety and suicidal thoughts. Suicide is the second-leading cause of death for that age group, and the demand for campus counseling services has nearly doubled over the past decade. They said referring students off campus adds another barrier to getting help, and many don’t follow through due to challenges with time, transportation, and insurance.
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HACC President
In a
On Thursday, the college said the new contract costs less than the salary and benefits for its counselors, but did not specify how much less. The majority of the services provided by those counselors were unrelated to clinical mental health counseling.
Students blast Pa.’s largest community college for cutting campus mental health services while spending big on renovations
“The college will assess the arrangement after six months and make adjustments if needed to ensure that student needs are being met,” HACC said.
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