A statement by the Education Department emphasized that colleges can use Higher Education Emergency Relief Funds on improvements to mental health services, InsideHigher Ed reported May 20.
The Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund was created to provide emergency funding addressing urgent student needs created by the COVID-19 pandemic.
"The pandemic has exposed students from all ages to trauma, from the loss of loved ones to financial hardships to social isolation and learning disruptions," Education Secretary Miguel Cardona, EdD, said in a statement at the University of California Riverside on May 20. "In discussions with students across the country, they've been honest with me: they need better mental health resources on campus."
The Biden administration provided an outline with recommendations on how HEERF money can be used for mental health support:
- Expand and strengthen in-person and remote mental health services, such as telehealth, to increase student, faculty and staff access to counselors and mental health professionals
- Establish new resources to connect students to needed care through innovative methods like 24-hour hotlines and mental health prevention and intervention training
- Create programs that will expand mental health awareness and resources on campuses long term