Governor Cooper announces $7.7 million in funding to provide more mental health services to UNC System students

RALEIGH, NC (WWAY) — Governor Roy Cooper has announced $7.7 million in new funding to provide additional mental health services to students.

This investment in the University of North Carolina (UNC) System will support new mental health initiatives and provide funding to sustain initiatives created by Governor Cooper’s previous $5 million grant to the UNC System in May 2021.

“Identifying their mental distress and getting them access to quality treatment is more critical for our students than ever,” Governor Cooper said. “This investment will help our state’s colleges and universities better support their students so they can thrive.”

The UNC System will collaborate with the North Carolina Community College System and the state’s independent colleges and universities to offer suicide prevention training to faculty and staff across all three education systems. These trainings will provide faculty and staff with the tools they need to better identify and support students in crisis.

The UNC System will also use this funding to continue to provide students across all 17 UNC institutions access to an after-hours mental health hotline and develop a new resiliency training program for faculty, staff, and students.