LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — Recognizing the significant stressors that college students face, from tuition costs to academic pressures, the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) has launched a proactive mental health initiative aimed at supporting student well-being through a text-based service called Early Alert.
Dr. Anne Weisman, Director of Well-being at the Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine, emphasized the importance of continuous self-assessment for students’ emotional, physical, mental, spiritual, and interpersonal health. “I want our students to constantly be checking in with how they are doing emotionally, physically, mentally, spiritually and in their interpersonal relationships and then have tools to help themselves when things might need a little bit of help,” she explained.
Early Alert: How It Works
Early Alert operates by periodically sending text messages to students, prompting them to rate different aspects of their wellness on a scale of one to 10. Depending on their responses, the service provides relevant resources or connects them with crisis counselors available 24/7. This preventive approach encourages students to regularly reflect on their well-being.
“A lot of times when I see students and they receive the text messages they’ll tell me ‘oh it made me stop and think how I am doing right now,’” Dr. Weisman noted, highlighting the program’s effectiveness in promoting self-awareness and timely intervention.
Comprehensive Wellness Check-ins
The wellness check-ins cover a broad range of categories, including emotional, physical, spiritual, sexual, financial, academic, and interpersonal relationships. On average, students have reported a wellness score of 7.15 out of 10, indicating a generally positive state of well-being.
Expanding the Impact
Dr. Weisman aims to extend the benefits of such tools beyond the university, envisioning a broader impact on the community. “I want all of this well-being work that we do at the school to also be work that we’re doing in the community. I really do think we can change the health of Nevadans in less than a generation,” she expressed, underscoring the potential for widespread improvement in mental health through proactive measures like Early Alert.
By integrating this innovative text-based service, UNLV demonstrates its commitment to student well-being, setting a precedent for other institutions to follow in fostering a supportive and responsive mental health environment.
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