Isabelle Holt || Editor-in-Chief || Issue 10
Hudson Valley Community College has been selected as one of the first 11 community colleges in New York State to receive funding through the State University of New York’s new Mental Health First Aid Grant Program, a statewide initiative aimed at strengthening mental health support for students. The program awards up to $8,000 per campus and reflects SUNY’s growing emphasis on student wellbeing as a core component of academic success.
The announcement was made recently by SUNY Chancellor John B. King Jr., who emphasized the importance of equipping campuses with tools to better recognize and respond to mental health challenges. Mental Health First Aid is a nationally recognized, evidence-based training program designed to help faculty and staff identify, understand, and respond to signs of mental health concerns and substance use disorders. Through SUNY’s grant program, participating campuses will receive support for instructor certification, training materials, outreach efforts, and campus-wide training opportunities to improve mental health literacy.
Once fully implemented, the program is expected to support Mental Health First Aid training for nearly 3,000 faculty, staff, and other non-clinical campus personnel across SUNY each year. By expanding the number of trained individuals on campus, SUNY aims to increase its capacity to recognize students in distress, provide timely and informed support, and connect students with appropriate professional resources before situations escalate.
“Mental health is health, and our priority at SUNY is to advance every aspect of our students’ growth and to ensure they have the support needed to succeed in their academic, professional, and personal development,” Chancellor King said. He added that the grants will help ensure more SUNY employees are prepared to recognize and address mental health concerns and to support students when they need help most.
Hudson Valley Community College President Michael Brophy echoed that sentiment, noting the importance of addressing students’ needs beyond the classroom. “We appreciate SUNY’s recognition of the importance of mental health resources for students, and their investment in creating greater access to these resources,” Brophy said. “We strive to provide support for our students in every area of their lives, not just academics, and this new grant will allow us to offer additional support and extend our reach beyond the existing services such as those offered through our Counseling Services office.”
In addition to Hudson Valley, 26 other SUNY campuses received funding through the Mental Health First Aid Grant Program, including a mix of community colleges and four-year institutions across the state. These campuses range from large research universities such as the University at Albany and Stony Brook University to smaller colleges like Jamestown Community College and SUNY Maritime College, underscoring SUNY’s system-wide commitment to student mental health.
Students seeking mental health support can access resources through SUNY’s mental health webpage, while Hudson Valley students have several options available locally. These include appointments with professional counselors through the college’s Counseling Services office, access to the Help Now Crisis Line at (518) 629-7320 for immediate support outside regular hours, and Welltrack Boost, a self-help app available through student email accounts that offers wellbeing assessments and educational tools. Anyone experiencing an immediate mental health crisis can also call or text 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, which provides free, confidential support 24 hours a day.
By participating in this new grant program, Hudson Valley Community College is taking an important step toward fostering a more informed, supportive campus environment where mental health is recognized as an essential part of student success.
The Hudsonian 