JED Campus Program Now Listed in Suicide Prevention Resource Center Best Practices Registry

An expert team examined and approved The Jed Foundation’s flagship higher education program as demonstrating effectiveness. 

[September 3, 2024, New York City] — The Jed Foundation (JED), a leading national nonprofit that protects emotional health and prevents suicide for teens and young adults, announced today that its flagship program for higher education, JED Campus, has been added to the Suicide Prevention Resource Center’s (SPRC) Best Practices Registry (BPR). The SPRC is the only federally supported resource center devoted to advancing the implementation of the National Strategy for Suicide Prevention, and it is funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). Programs and interventions added to the Registry are expert-assessed to ensure that they are consistent with the most recent suicide prevention guidance and have proven efficacy in preventing suicide or directly addressing the variables that influence it. 

“The addition of JED Campus to the Suicide Prevention Resource Center’s Best Practices Registry is an important recognition reflecting the past decade’s worth of programming efforts in protecting and prioritizing youth mental health, reaching more than 6.5 million students in partnership with almost 500 higher education institutions,” said John MacPhee, JED CEO. “Youth suicide is complex, but preventable. The JED Campus program demonstrates that data-driven and evidence-based approaches are effective. We look forward to continued collaboration with higher education institutions in support of student mental health.” 

JED Campus is a four-year, technical assistance program that provides colleges and universities with expert support, evidence-based recommended practices, and data-driven guidance. The recently released research report A Decade of Improving College Mental Health Systems: JED Campus Impact Report demonstrates that schools that completed JED Campus saw statistically significant improvements in student mental health at the end of the program. On average, students at schools that completed the JED Campus program had improved anxiety and depression average scores. Measured by the Healthy Minds Survey, students were:

• 10% less likely to experience suicidal thoughts
• 13% less likely to make a suicide plan
• 25% less likely to attempt suicide

Furthermore, JED Campuses also showed improvements in student retention and graduation rates. 

Suicide is the second leading cause of death for young people ages 12 to 24. Over 12.6 million people between the ages of 18 and 25 have experienced a mental, behavioral, or emotional health issue in the past year. More than 18 million people attend colleges and universities in the U.S. every year, putting academic institutions at the forefront of bringing mental health initiatives directly to young adults. 

Inclusion in the SPRC Best Practices Registry increases campus leaders’ confidence in their decisions to partner with a program that has demonstrated improvements in reducing suicidal thoughts, plans, and attempts. The demonstrated JED Campus program model has been adapted for use in high schools, districts, and community-based organizations. JED also offers postvention consulting services and a variety of training, research, guidance, and tools for administrators, faculty, and students to create healthy and connected school environments. 

Learn more about JED Campus and other JED programs, or explore our listing in the Suicide Prevention Resource Center’s Best Practices Registry. 

About The Jed Foundation
JED is a nonprofit that protects emotional health and prevents suicide for our nation’s teens and young adults. We’re partnering with high schools and colleges to strengthen their mental health, substance misuse, and suicide prevention programs and systems. We’re equipping teens and young adults with the skills and knowledge to help themselves and each other. We’re encouraging community awareness, understanding, and action for young adult mental health.

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Media Contact
Justin Barbo
Director, Public Relations
The Jed Foundation
Justin@jedfoundation.org
914-844-4611