Systems Workgroup
| Recommendation | Update | Status | Completion Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1: Create a standing committee, perhaps as a Senate subcommittee, focused on mental and emotional well-being to be chaired by the AVP for Health & Wellness in Student Life. | Committee formed with representation of faculty, staff, and students from all campuses in September 2024. | Complete | September 2024 |
| #2: Prioritize, map out, and shepherd the recommendations in this report. Create and maintain a website with the plan, perhaps including a Gantt chart, providing updates for transparency. | Phase one of the implementation updates website has been created, with plans for a more robust site in summer 2024 | In process | Estimated summer 2024 |
| #3: Develop and communicate a shared definition of wellness to be used across all campuses with all constituents (students, faculty, staff). We recommend using the Inter-Association Definition shared in the Vision section of this report | Working to align existing language to higher-ed context to better fit the needs of the Miami community | In process | Estimated April 2024 |
| #4: Adapt and adopt a framework to guide our efforts for students, faculty and staff, ideally the framework created by the U.S. Surgeon General’s office in November 2022. | Working to align existing language to higher-ed context to better fit the needs of the Miami community | In process | Estimated April 2024 |
| #5: In collaboration with the Office of Student Wellness, the Office of Employee Benefits and Wellness, and University Communications and Marketing (UCM), develop and coordinate a communication strategy as outlined in the communication section of the report. | Not yet started | ||
| #6: Identify and work with Wellness Champions across all university divisions, and where there is interest, in departments. | Not yet started | ||
| #7: Examine all resources currently allocated for mental health and emotional wellness across all campuses and strive for equity and consistency related to staffing and budgets. | Not yet started | ||
| #8: Establish a self-assessment/audit process that each division on every campus could complete at least once every 3 years to assess that division’s distinct culture around mental health and emotional well-being | Not yet started | ||
| #9: Research and strategically pursue resources from the state, agencies, foundations, and other grant opportunities to support this work. | Not yet started |
| Recommendation | Update | Status | Completion Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1: Explore alternatives to a leave of absence for students in distress, and ease the re-entry process for those who take a leave. | Not yet started | ||
| #2: Assess student counseling on the three main campuses to potentially streamline service (e.g. record keeping, administrative oversight, etc.) and consider ways that the three offices can support each other. | In process | ||
| #3: Explore the possibility of partnerships with external vendors (e.g., TriHealth) to expand local mental health resources near our campuses, particularly resources related to psychiatry, specialized care, and intensive outpatient services. | Not yet started | ||
| #4: Explore the creation of clinical placements for psychiatric nurse practitioners (post-licensure). | Not yet started | ||
| #5: Explore more opportunities for trainees in social work and psychology to bolster services for students. | Not yet started | ||
| #6: Explore options for telehealth for care outside of regular business hours, particularly for Regionals students, and assess financial viability. | Not yet started | ||
| #7: Provide dedicated private space for students to engage in telebehavioral health appointments. | Student Counseling Service, in collaboration with the Office of Student Wellness and the HRSA Grant Consortium, has established two rooms in SCS designated for students to use for telebehavioral health appointments. | Complete | September 1, 2023 |
| #8: Explore other resources to support students with financial and practical needs (e.g., transportation) to access services beyond Miami’s scope of services. | Not yet started | ||
| #9: Identify key groups that are less likely to seek care and create a plan to ensure allyship and outreach is conducted by an appropriate source. | Not yet started | ||
| #10: Increase strategies to make it easier for students to access care in more informal ways than individual therapy, using technology to increase access beyond standard business hours. | WellTrack Boost is now offered to students on all campuses. Welltrack Boost is a self-guided, clinically supported, CBT-based, set of tools that help individuals assess, understand, and work on their own behavioral health and wellness. The web application or mobile app can be used on their own device and schedule. | Complete | February 2024 |
| #11: Support mental health/ wellness chairs in student organizations (e.g., fraternities and sororities). | Survey of the current state of student org health/wellness chairs and interest in starting a program is complete | In process | May 2024 |
| #12: Explore more opportunities for peer to peer support for mental health. | Not yet started |
| Recommendation | Update | Status | Completion Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1: Expand and enhance a dynamic employee wellness program by working with existing university partners (e.g. Miami’s health plan administrator, Tri-Health, and other community resources) to meet the needs of faculty and staff across all campuses, and resource the program appropriately. | Not yet started | ||
| #2: Focus the efforts of this program on creating and elevating a robust website and other communications tools to help faculty and staff learn about and navigate resources and care. | Not yet started | ||
| #3: Create an incentive system for healthy habits, similar to Healthy Miami for mental health. Trackable elements might include participation in trainings or screenings. | Not yet started | ||
| #4: Align staff programming and benefits with the 8 dimensions of wellness. | Not yet started | ||
| #5: Examine exemplar practices from other campuses and assess to implement (see University of Pittsburgh, Indiana University, and Ohio University as good examples). | Not yet started | ||
| #6: Conduct a voluntary annual survey of all faculty and staff across all campuses, such as the American College Health Association survey, to measure the mental health and emotional wellbeing of our employees and identify areas for improvement. | Not yet started |
Updated February 12, 2024.
