New framework responds to urgent student needs
and builds momentum for statewide action

[July 22, 2025 VERSAILLES, Ky] — The Kentucky Community and Technical College System (KCTCS) is rolling out its first-ever Mental Health Strategy to support the mental well-being of more than 110,000 students across all 16 colleges. The initiative is backed by partnerships with The Jed Foundation (JED), The Healthy Minds Network, and the Council on Postsecondary Education. 

This new strategy is the result of JED’s technical-assistance support and consultation.  JED assisted KCTCS in establishing and strengthening a community of care among partner campuses, protecting student mental health, and providing and integrating evidence-based mental health resources, programs, systems, and policies. JED and KCTCS approached the work in a systematic manner across the system and within individual member institutions.

Results from the Healthy Minds Study conducted last year across the 16 schools underscore an urgent need for action:

• 68% of students show signs of depression
• 66% report anxiety symptoms
• Only 27% who screen positive for depression or anxiety  are receiving therapy
• 86% report financial stress

“Community college students experience the same mental health concerns as their university peers, but are more likely to face financial challenges that lead to food and housing insecurity, or less access to medical care, which can compound the issue,” says KCTCS’ Christopher Hetherington, Ed.D., executive director of strategic enrollment management, who leads the system effort. “It’s hard to do well in class when you’re depressed and worried about money. This strategy is about making sure our policies and practices effectively connect students with available resources. Our goal is to empower our students to navigate life’s challenges, stay on track academically, and prepare for meaningful careers.”

Six key focus areas guide KCTCS’s new plan: survey-informed interventions, faculty and staff training, an early-alert guide, mental health communication campaigns, peer wellness programs, and expanded grant and partner-supported services.

The system strategy also aligns with the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education’s statewide mental health plan, ensuring shared priorities and coordinated action across institutions.

KCTCS President Ryan Quarles emphasized the deep connection between student well-being and success.

“In Kentucky, we know that the strength of our communities lies in the well-being of our people,” said Quarles. “When we prioritize mental health, we pave the way for brighter futures, stronger communities, and boundless opportunities. This important work has been made possible thanks to the backing of our state and national partners and the KCTCS community.”

“Community and technical colleges serve a diverse and often nontraditional student body — including working adults, first-generation students, and student parents — all while navigating limited institutional resources,” said Erica Riba, Ed.D., senior director of alumni programs and engagement at JED, who advised on the systemwide mental health strategy. “What stands out across KCTCS is the deep care and commitment from campus professionals. This systemwide strategy reflects JED’s approach: using data, strengthening infrastructure, and helping schools build environments where all students can thrive.”

The new strategy represents a significant milestone in Kentucky’s broader effort to prioritize mental health in higher education and a model for how community colleges nationwide can take action. 

“A statewide effort to collect these data is an essential step toward a public health approach that addresses mental health and well-being. We are thrilled that Healthy Minds data can be used to inform statewide decision-making, guided by evidence around students’ needs, addressing disparities in access to resources, and shaping conditions that allow more students to thrive in college,” said Sarah Lipson, Ph.D, Ed.M, principal investigator of the Healthy Minds Network and associate professor at the Boston University School of Public Health.

The full Strategic Mental Health Framework can be found on our website.   

Media interviews with members of the KCTCS Mental Health Taskforce are available upon request.

About The Kentucky Community and Technical College System (KCTCS)
The Kentucky Community and Technical College System (KCTCS) consists of a network of regional colleges and a system office dedicated to serving communities across the commonwealth. As Kentucky’s largest provider of workforce training and postsecondary education, KCTCS enrolls more than 110,000 students annually. United in mission and purpose, KCTCS and its colleges are committed to improving the lives of students, strengthening communities and advancing the prosperity of Kentucky’s citizens.

About The Healthy Minds Network
The Healthy Minds Network is one of the nation’s premier research organizations contributing to adolescent and young adult mental health. HMN is dedicated to improving the mental and emotional well-being of young people through innovative, multidisciplinary scholarship. HMN spans coast to coast with our principal investigators at the University of California-Los Angeles, the University of Michigan, Wayne State University, and Boston University. Our network proudly serves as a resource for post-secondary education administrators, students, researchers, clinicians, policy-makers, and the greater public.

For 15 years, the network has administered the Healthy Minds Study (HMS), a population-level survey of post-secondary student mental health. Over 935,000 responses from students at more than 675 colleges and universities have been gathered. In the past few years, the network’s research efforts have expanded into other facets of mental health in educational settings, including the role and health of faculty and staff.

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, colleges, and school districts 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.

Connect with JED: Email | LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook | TikTok | Snapchat | YouTube 

Media Contacts

KCTCS Media Contact
Sue Patrick
859-333-3177
sue.patrick@kctcs.edu

Justin Barbo
Director of Public Relations
The Jed Foundation
914-844-4611
justin@jedfoundation.org

Initiative offers expert support, evidence-informed guidance to promote young adult emotional health and prevent suicide.

[July 17, 2025, New York City] — Fraternities and sororities shape the college experience for hundreds of thousands of students, and they can have a powerful impact on the emotional well-being of their members and the broader campus community. Today, The Jed Foundation (JED) announced the launch of new programming to partner with Greek-letter organizations to help them transform member mental health.

Drawing on two decades of expertise and a proven comprehensive approach, The JED Greek-Letter Organizations programs provide tailored, evidence-informed guidance to fraternities and sororities committed to promoting emotional well-being and preventing suicide through a two-year technical assistance program or customized consulting. Over the course of the two-year program, JED partners with participating organizations to:

• Assess organizational needs and priorities
• Review, improve, or create policies and procedures
• Enhance substance misuse prevention through a JED-led, customized workshop, developed in partnership with Partnership to End Addiction
• Strengthen hazing prevention via a JED-led workshop, developed in partnership with the  Timothy J. Piazza Center for Fraternity and Sorority Research
• Train staff, volunteers, alumni, and members using JED-developed workshops that meet their needs, including “You Can Help a Member” and “It’s OK to Say Suicide.”
• Support implementation tools, strategies, and techniques for measurable youth mental health improvements
• Evaluate progress and develop sustainability plans

Through customized consulting, JED partners with organizations to:

• Review or co-develop policies that strengthen and protect the emotional health of members and students who socialize with fraternal organizations, including crisis intervention, substance misuse and amnesty policies, bullying and cyberbullying, hazing, and sexual assault
• Provide workshops and trainings to address the identified needs of the organization
• Hold one-on-one coaching calls to problem-solve priority issues identities by the organization.

Sigma Phi Epsilon Fraternity (SigEp), with more than 12,000 undergraduates on 200 campuses, is among the first college fraternities to join this new program. Its mission is Building Balanced Men, achieved through a continuous member development program focused on personal and leadership development in a substance-free environment.

“JED’s approach to supporting mental well-being in fraternity and sorority communities will ensure SigEp’s policies and core experiences continue to be at the forefront in the prevention of suicide, hazing, and substance misuse,” said Brian Warren, CEO of Sigma Phi Epsilon Fraternity. “The partnership will enhance our Balanced Men Program, which supports several dimensions of wellness, by helping our members understand themselves, seek balance, build strong relationships, and pursue excellence in their lives. Recommended by SigEp’s Mental Health Committee based on JED’s proven expertise, this partnership was a natural next step as we evaluate and enhance our experience for undergraduates and volunteers.”

The JED Greek-Letter Organizations programs build on JED’s recent report, Fraternities and Mental Health: Supporting Emotional Well-Being Among Members and Across Campus, which highlights both the potential positives and the risks of Greek life. The findings, coupled with JED’s experience in this area, yielded several key recommendations and themes to enhance the emotional well-being of both fraternity members and other students on campus. While fraternities can provide belonging and social connection — protective factors for mental health — they also present significant risks, including substance misuse and sexual misconduct, that impact both members and the broader campus community, highlighting the need for increased awareness and positive response strategies.

“There are more than 1,500 Greek-letter organizations at colleges and universities across the United States, serving approximately 750,000 undergraduate students. These communities have enormous potential to foster connection, resilience, and support,” said Dr. Katie Hurley, JED’s Senior Director of Clinical Advising and Community Programming. “JED’s new program meets fraternities and sororities where they are, helping them build systems of support that are grounded in research, responsive to their unique needs and cultures, and designed to enhance safety and well-being for their members and broader campus communities.”

The program is rooted in JED’s comprehensive approach, a proven model used across more than 530 colleges and universities nationwide. JED’s recent report, A Decade of Improving College Mental Health Systems: JED Campus Impact Report, analyzed a decade of data (2013 to 2023) from JED Campus schools and the Healthy Minds Network survey. Schools that completed JED Campus saw statistically significant improvements in student mental health at the end of the program. Students were:

• 25% less likely to report a suicide attempt 
• 13% less likely to report suicide planning
• 10% less likely to report suicidal ideation
  

Students also had improved average anxiety and depression scores, and were more likely to stay in school and graduate.

Fees for The JED Greek-Letter Organizations programs vary depending on organizational needs and scope. Sliding-scale options and grant support may be available.

For more information, contact greek@jedfoundation.org.

About The Jed Foundation (JED)
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, colleges, and school districts 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. 

Connect with JED: Email | LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook | TikTok | Snapchat | YouTube 

Media Contact

Justin Barbo
Director of Public Relations
The Jed Foundation
914-844-4611
justin@jedfoundation.org

Lawmakers Chose $1 Trillion in Medicaid Cuts, 12 Million People Projected to Lose Health Coverage

New York, NY — The Jed Foundation (JED) today expresses deep alarm and concern at the final passage of H.R.1, the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” which now heads to the President’s desk for signature. The legislation includes nearly $1 trillion in cuts to Medicaid, the nation’s largest provider of mental health services, posing an unprecedented threat to the health and well-being of children, teens, and young adults across the country. 

“This legislation is a devastating blow for millions of Americans, revoking their access to mental health care across the country,” said Dr. Zainab Okolo, Senior Vice President of Policy, Advocacy, and Government Relations at JED. “With this vote, Congress has undermined a system that millions of children and their families rely on for mental health care. The cost will be measured in rising crises, deepening despair, and lives we could have saved.” 

Medicaid is a lifeline for American families, currently providing health care coverage for nearly half of all U.S. children. These cuts mean more children and young adults in crisis because there will be fewer places to turn for healthcare, and fewer youth and families able to afford the help they need. 

Key consequences of H.R.1 include: 

• Widespread loss of health coverage: The Congressional Budget Office estimates that up to 12 million people will lose Medicaid coverage. 
  • Decreased funding for hospitals and care providers: H.R.1 restricts how states can fund their Medicaid programs, weakening safety-net hospitals and reducing the availability of care for low-income and underserved communities. 
  • Reduction in the future medical and mental health workforce: This bill eliminates key student loan repayment plans (SAVE, PAYE, ICR), eliminates the Graduate PLUS program, and caps the Parent PLUS loan, leaving potential future doctors, nurses, and other healthcare providers with limited options for financing their higher education. The changes will increase monthly payments and make forgiveness harder to access, discouraging entry into essential and already shorthanded fields like mental health, primary care, and social work. 
  • School-based services at risk: The loss in state Medicaid revenue may force schools to cut counselors, cancel programs, and refer students to already overburdened emergency rooms. This will undo much of the progress made since the passage of the 2022 Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, which helped fund on-site mental health services for schools. 

• The already underserved will be particularly impacted: The negative effects of this bill won’t be felt equally. Children in rural or low-income areas, those in foster care, and LGBTQ+ youth often rely heavily on Medicaid for mental health support. In many rural communities, school-based services are the only mental health care available. Losing these services would make it much harder for young people to get the help they need when they need it most.
• Worsening health outcomes that impact youth mental health: Mental health and physical health are intrinsically linked. With approximately 40% of children having a chronic health condition, access to Medicaid for annual physicals, preventive care, screenings, diagnosis, and treatment is essential not only to prevent more serious illness but to support their emotional well-being.      

Medicaid has long represented a shared national value to provide healthcare coverage to vulnerable people and families who might otherwise be unable to afford it, including children, pregnant women, the elderly, and people with disabilities. 

The recent, rapid decisions by Congress and the Administration — whether advancing harmful legislation like H.R.1 or withholding $7 billion in congressionally appropriated funding for K–12 schools — send a troubling message. Together, these actions threaten to strip children of critical health coverage, school-based supports, after-school programs, and essential access points to mental health care.

“It is painful to see this existing, life-saving system weakened in a way that will result in millions of Americans, including children, losing their preventative and medical care,” said JED CEO John MacPhee. “We are deeply worried about the impact on the well-being and mental health of the youth we serve.” 

The Jed Foundation urges states to do everything in their power to blunt the impact of these federal actions. State leaders must safeguard the programs and supports that children, families, and young people depend on, especially those in rural communities and other underserved populations. Now more than ever, our children need leaders who will choose care over cuts and prioritize their well-being over politics.

At JED, we are deepening our commitment to partnering with states, school systems, and providers to help them mitigate the harms of the new law and protect access to mental health services across communities, schools, and youth-serving programs. With federal resources cut, all those who care about youth mental health must come together to do everything in our power to safeguard the safety net that protects our nation’s young people.

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About The Jed Foundation (JED)
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, colleges, and school districts 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. 

Connect with JED: Email | LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook | TikTok | Snapchat | YouTube 

Media Contact

Justin Barbo
Director of Public Relations
The Jed Foundation
914-844-4611
justin@jedfoundation.org

Urges Lawmakers to Reject nearly $1 Trillion in Medicaid Cuts 

New York, NY — The Jed Foundation (JED) today issued a stark warning following the Senate passage of H.R. 1, the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” a reconciliation package that includes nearly $1 trillion in cuts to Medicaid and other vital youth mental health supports. As the bill heads toward a final vote in the House, JED is urging Congress to protect Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) access for children, teens, and young adults, warning that the proposed changes pose a direct threat to the safety and well-being of our nation’s youth. 

“Medicaid is the single largest payer of mental health care in this country,” said Dr. Zainab Okolo, Senior Vice President of Policy, Advocacy, and Government Relations at The Jed Foundation. “We cannot meaningfully address youth mental health while cutting off access to the very system that delivers care. These changes would roll back hard-won bipartisan progress, jeopardizing school-based services, shrinking provider networks, and disenrolling millions of families not because they’re ineligible, but because of funding cuts and new bureaucratic barriers. It’s a step backward that will place millions of youth and their families at risk nationwide.”

The result will be more children and young adults in crisis because there will be fewer places to turn for health care, and fewer youth and families able to afford the help they need. Medicaid is a lifeline for American families, currently providing health care coverage for nearly half of all U.S. children.

The consequences for youth mental health will be severe: 

• Millions will lose their Medicaid coverage: States would be required to implement new eligibility verification systems and community engagement requirements. The burden will fall on parents to complete Medicaid eligibility and verification paperwork every six months for themselves and their children. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that these provisions would result in 12 million people losing coverage, many due to paperwork barriers rather than changes in eligibility. JED is particularly concerned that low-income youth, including the 40% of rural children and 38% of urban children covered by Medicaid, will lose vital access to mental health services.
  • Hospitals will suffer: H.R. 1 significantly decreases the revenue states can collect for Medicaid through taxation of healthcare providers. While H.R. 1 includes a $50 billion fund for rural hospitals, this only addresses part of the shortfall, as the majority of hospitals will struggle to absorb the costs. 
  • School-based services will be at risk: The loss in state Medicaid revenue may force schools to cut counselors, cancel programs, and refer students to already overburdened emergency rooms. This will undo much of the progress made since the passage of the 2022 Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, which helped fund on-site mental health services for schools. 

• The already underserved will be particularly impacted: The negative effects of this bill won’t be felt equally. Children in rural or low-income areas, those in foster care, and LGBTQ+ young adults often rely heavily on Medicaid for mental health support. For rural communities, in particular, school-based services may be the only mental health care available. Losing these services would make it much harder for young people to get the help they need when they need it most.

• Worsening health outcomes will impact youth mental health: Mental health and physical health are intrinsically linked. At a time when roughly 40% of children have a chronic health condition, access to Medicaid for annual physicals, preventive care, screenings, diagnosis, and treatment is essential to protecting children’s health and preventing more serious illness. Supporting youth in managing their conditions also supports their emotional well-being.      

JED calls on lawmakers to uphold the bipartisan commitment to youth mental health made in recent years and remove harmful Medicaid restrictions from the final version of the bill. JED will continue to provide programming and advocate for policies that ensure access to care, reduce suicide risk, and equip youth and families with the tools they need to thrive.

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About The Jed Foundation (JED)
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, colleges, and school districts 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. 

Connect with JED: Email | LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook | TikTok | Snapchat | YouTube 

Media Contact
Justin Barbo
Director of Public Relations, The Jed Foundation
Justin@jedfoundation.org