Representatives from Temple and other higher education institutions across Pennsylvania recently gathered in Mitten Hall, Great Court to recognize an important distinction.

At this event, the Pennsylvania Department of Education launched the PA CARES (Connect, Assess, Respond, Encourage and Support) campus designation for 15 colleges and universities in the commonwealth. This certification is given to higher education institutions that meet Act 110 mental health and suicide prevention and post-intervention plans. 

“Having this PA CARES designation shows that Temple is dedicated to helping students in any way we can,” said Mark Denys, associate vice provost of health and well-being. “We are continually developing new programming and ways to care for our students. It’s truly a campuswide commitment.”

Previously known as the Certified Suicide Prevention Institution of Higher Education designation, PA CARES marks an opportunity for postsecondary stakeholders to prioritize students’ mental health.

“I want to extend a huge thank you to Temple University for hosting us and for serving as a leading example of higher education centering students’ well-being,” said Lynette Kuhn, deputy secretary of the Office of Postsecondary and Higher Education in the Pennsylvania Department of Education, in her opening remarks. “PA CARES campuses are leading Pennsylvania and the nation in evidence-based, student-centered mental health programs, which are innovative, compassionate and often student-driven.”

Angela Cirelli, CPH ’26, spoke about her experience as a certified peer educator and mental well-being program assistant at Temple’s Wellness Resource Center. She highlighted the work of the center, which educates students about well-being through initiatives such as self-care fairs that connect them with resources, tablings that provide stress management strategies and presentations that teach about stigma reduction, in addition to other programming.

“College can be a stressful time for students, whether they’re adjusting to the new environment or managing a heavy workload. Although we can’t eliminate these stressors, we can provide students with the tools necessary to navigate them, find balance and take care,” said Cirelli. “Temple is actively investing in its students’ well-being, and for that I’m so grateful.”

Andrew Lee, senior director of Tuttleman Counseling Services, and Rachael Stark, assistant vice president for student support and advocacy in the Division of Student Affairs, also noted Temple’s impact providing mental health support such as postvention strategies and ultimately saving lives.

“The circumstances that bring us together are devastating, but we work together to ensure that our students are supported,” said Stark. “With the right assistance, students, faculty and staff have demonstrated their resilience, and our community has become stronger through these challenging times.”

At Temple, the Health and Well-being Division leads these efforts in collaboration with other campus partners such as Student Affairs and the College of Public Health to promote not only mental health but also physical and social wellness for all students, faculty and staff. In its holistic approach, the division brings together Student Health Services, Tuttleman Counseling Services, the Wellness Resource Center and Employee Health Services. This structure provides resources and services for a range of care including physical and sexual health, individual and group counseling, crisis support, and peer education, among other offerings.

In September 2024, Temple was designated a Certified Suicide Prevention Institution of Higher Education, now relaunched as PA CARES.

To obtain a PA CARES designation, a higher education institution must develop and implement a plan providing guidance to students and staff on mental health and suicide prevention resources on and off campus. Specifically, the plan includes components such as contact information for suicide prevention hotlines, crisis intervention services, mental health services and access, multimedia options such as mobile apps, student communication plans consisting of outreach, and post-intervention plans.

Other colleges and universities that have received this recognition include Bucknell University, Bucks County Community College, Community College of Beaver County, Community College of Philadelphia, Lehigh Carbon Community College, Manor College, Montgomery County Community College, Northampton Community College, Delaware County Community College, Harrisburg Area Community College, Lafayette College, Moravian University, Pennsylvania College of Technology and Thomas Jefferson University.

“PA CARES is more than a designation; it’s a community,” said Rose Milani, suicide prevention program director at the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services, during the launch event. “Comprehensive prevention takes everyone on campus, and we need to support one another perhaps now more than ever.”

Additionally, four PA CARES designated institutions are also JED campuses, including Temple. This national initiative is committed to protecting emotional health and preventing suicide in teenagers and young adults in the U.S. JED partners with high schools and colleges to strengthen their mental health, substance misuse and suicide prevention programs and systems.

At the launch event, Director of Policy at the Jed Foundation Martha Sanchez emphasized a 10% reduction in suicidal ideation and a 25% reduction in suicide attempts on these JED campuses. “The most courageous thing a student can do is ask for help. We need to be able to offer resources and continue to be accessible,” she said.