ECU and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina: A Partnership to Bridge the Behavioral Health Care Gap at the University of North Carolina at Pembroke

Mental health problems are common among college students. A recent study, based on data from 373 campuses nationwide, showed that more than 60% of college students met the criteria for at least one mental health problem. In another national survey, almost 75% of students reported moderate or severe psychological distress. In the past decade, mental health symptoms have nearly doubled in college student populations. The problem is particularly severe for minority college students living in rural areas due to less access to mental health care when compared with their peers in urban areas?giving rise to serious mental health disparity. Meanwhile, many cultural and normative barriers, such as stigma, can further reduce their mental health-seeking behavior, which exacerbates the mental health disparity. With this grant, the East Carolina University Center for Telepsychiatry will launch a 4-year initiative to place psychiatric providers on the campus of UNC Pembroke, using an integrated care model that is well supported by empirical evidence. The integrated care approach, embedded in the Student Health Services will help UNCP meet students? mental health care needs and address a growing need to foster connectedness at a time when mental health concerns on college campuses were surging.

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