UNC launches new mental health initiative called 'Heels Care Network'

The University launched the Heels Care Network, a collection of university-wide mental health resources for students, staff, faculty and other members of the campus community, on Wednesday. 

The mental health initiative, first announced by Chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz in October, was created based on feedback from November's Mental Health Summit and the UNC community.  

“We realize there is no single solution here, but this is an important step forward,” Guskiewicz said in an email. “We are committed to continuing this work until everyone in our community knows they are never alone.”  

Amy Johnson, vice chancellor for student affairs and one of the administrators heading up the Network, said the website will include a searchable resource database, anonymous care referral form, links to 24/7 support and suicide prevention resources. There will also be a new live chat LSN feature, which stands for "Listen, Support and Navigate."

This live chat feature is run by the Peers for Progress team, a group from the Gillings School of Public Health. Johnson said the program is staffed with trained student peer supporters.

“Particularly we think students will be attracted to this,” Johnson said, “to be able to reach out and speak directly with a peer colleague.”

The website itself isn’t using any extra University funding, Johnson said. They are pulling from existing staffing, resources and technology support for the network. 

Evan Aldridge, a senior majoring in psychology, is a chapter co-president, student ambassador and national leader of a student mental health organization called Active Minds at Carolina.

Aldridge said UNC can be effective in having much further reach than individual organizations can, so it’s important that they compile their resources into a network like this.

“I think that something that our organization and others have felt in the past is that we were sort of having to be the ones to broadcast things like CAPS or resources,” Aldridge said, “so having the university do that is nice.”

According to Johnson, working to improve the accessibility of tailored resources for marginalized communities is another thing that the University will continue to do. 

Last year, UNC launched the multicultural health program at CAPS, where four new counselors were hired and trained specifically in race-based issues. The program's inception also saw long-term funding needed to keep the program going. 

“It’s designed not only to provide counseling, but to develop liaison relationships with those communities so that we have direct connections and can keep a finger on the pulse in terms of how well we’re supporting those communities and what new resources and offerings we might provide,” Johnson said.

The Heels Care Network will continue to assess the need for new tools or resources on the website as time goes on. 

“We hope that this website and the Heels Care Network generally will be a great way to extend our culture of compassion and care to Carolina, and reinforce that we all have a role to play,” Johnson said.

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