The community college system in the state of New Hampshire is, for the first time, printing mental health resources on every student ID card. The new initiative begins with the start of this fall semester.
According to a report from the Carriage Towne News, the new initiative will see all student ID cards issued by New Hampshire’s community colleges include mental health resource information. The move follows along with a growing trend across the country for the student credential help provide ready access to help when students are experiencing a crisis or other mental health challenge.
New Hampshire Legislature got the ball rolling with SB234 this past spring. The bill required student IDs to include the telephone number for the national suicide prevention lifeline.
Under the new initiative, cards issued by community colleges will include the New Hampshire Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence helpline, the 741741 Crisis Text Line, as well as the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline toll-free and new three-digit helpline.
“As rates of suicide and mental health concerns continue to increase among college student populations, we applaud those who came forward to advocate for this common-sense and compassionate measure to ensure that students have access to information that could save lives,” says Meghan Eckner, CCSNH Chief of Staff and Executive Assistant to the Board of Trustees.
“CCSNH is committed to the success of all students, and supporting their health and wellbeing, in addition to their academic and career readiness goals, is an important part of our mission,” adds Eckner. “Listing these resources on ID cards is another way for us to support our students and their mental health.”
