The Santa Clarita Community College District has received a $400,000 grant from the California Community College Chancellor’s Office to expand and enhance mental health services and awareness to students and the campus community.

The District was one of 16 to be awarded the 20-month mental health grant.

“We are very gratified to be one of the few California community colleges to receive this grant,” said Larry Schallert, assistant director of student health and wellness at College of the Canyons.

“With this grant we hope to sustain and improve the multiple efforts that we have initiated to improve student mental health, the climate at COC and the awareness of mental health issues on the campus and the community,” Schallert said.

The mental health grant’s primary goal is to reduce racial disparities in access to mental health services and to provide prevention, early intervention and suicide prevention training.

“We will be bolstering our outreach to low income and minority populations and we will be continuing and improving our relationships with key community providers and with our collocated partners, and developing more formal protocols for referrals between departments and partners,” Schallert said.

The grant will allow the college to provide personal counseling services by increasing clinical hours and will fund the position of a mental health coordinator.

Schallert added that the Center will also develop a tele-mental health program in partnership with USC to provide counseling to students via video conferencing or telephone. The Center also plans to implement a depression screening program for all students seen at the center for medical as well as mental health concerns.

The Student Health and Wellness Center also plans to provide educational seminars for students and faculty related to:

* Mindfulness training and stress reduction
* Human trafficking training
* Resiliency training
* SAFE zone training
* Drug use and mental health
* Autism awareness
* LatinX mental health Issues
* Suicide prevention and response