SUNY Chancellor announces $24 Million in Federal Funding to Aid student mental health

It is no secret that the past 2 years of our lives have been an uncertain rollercoaster. Luckily for us, it seems to be looking “back to normal” in a post-pandemic world. While many are excited to get back to a sense of normalcy, others have some anxiety. Jaiviana Jones, a senior at SUNY Brockport, spoke with 13 Wham on her anxiety and mental health struggle for the upcoming semester: “I almost lost my Dad last year to COVID. I lost my grandfather to COVID.”

According to SUNY Brockport President Heidi Macpherson, Jones is not alone in this feeling; “Over the past four years, our counseling center averaged more than 3-thousand six hundred and sixty visits per year. Visits to our health centers jumped 10% last year compared to the past two years.” Reasons such as this have called the attention of ​​SUNY Chancellor Jim Malatras. Malatras says across the entire SUNY system, they’ve seen a significant spike in students experiencing mental health issues. The Chancellor stopped by SUNY Brockport Friday to announce $24 million in federal stimulus funding that will be used to expand mental health networking, peer-to-peer counseling, and training and safe spaces for students.

Source: 13 Wham