Jimmy Anderson was pleasantly surprised when he heard Onondaga Community College President Dr. Warren Hilton talk about his mental health-related challenges during a recent student orientation session. "He said, 'everybody struggles.' And that he had a problem with socialization. He was open about it right in front of everybody. It normalized it."
Anderson is a Mental Health Counselor in OCC's Counseling & Community Care Hub, which provides students with various types of support when they need it most for non-academic issues, including:
- Short-term emergency assistance/information for nutrition and transportation needs.
- On-site food pantry and referrals to local community food pantries.
- Assistance with applying for SNAP and WIC.
- Assistance with establishing healthcare insurance and treatment.
- Housing referrals (local shelters).
- Childcare referrals.
- Legal referrals.
- Referrals to outside community resources.
- Community agency tabling throughout the semester.
"We have the resources to do prevention. We're out there, we're going to classrooms, we're hosting events, we're getting people to talk," said Erika Sheets, Director of the Counseling & Community Care Hub.
Sheets and her staff are planning special events for September, which is National Suicide Prevention Month, including the week of September 7 -13 which is Suicide Prevention Week. Also, a special event is being planned for September 26. "We will be painting with a twist while we present on mental health. The artist will share a very personal and impactful story of her own," said Sheets.
During Sheets' seven years at OCC, she has seen the focus and openness around mental health change for the better. "At one time, we would walk out of our office and students would avoid us like the plague. Now they see us and say, 'Hey, that's my counselor,'" said Sheets. "We've seen the dynamics change, and that's a credit to leadership," added Anderson. "It starts with the President saying he had an issue with socialization and he worked on it, to Erika working on initiatives and making it happen. This center and the services we provide students are getting better and better."
Do you or someone you know need help? Here are some options:
- Counseling & Community Care Hub is located in the Gordon Student Center in room G230. The office is open Monday through Friday from 8:30am to 4:30pm. The office can be reached at (315) 498-2801 or communitycare@sunyocc.edu.
- After hours, reach a dedicated counselor by calling Contact at (315) 498-2675.
- After hours, call Campus Safety at (315) 498-2311.
- The Suicide Crisis Hotline can be reached by dialing 988. If you are a Veteran, choose option 1.
