LaGuardia Community College Gets Funding For Mental Health Project

LONG ISLAND CITY, QUEENS — Students and faculty at LaGuardia Community College will receive more training on how to identify mental health problems in their community after a federal entity granted the institution hundreds of thousands of dollars to expand its mental health program.

The college, located in Long Island City, received $500,000 to expand its “Mental Health Literacy & Crisis Intervention” project, which teaches faculty and students how to intervene and/or de-escalate a mental health-related crisis.

The funds were granted by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

The program will focus on high-risk populations, including LGBTQIA+ students, students with disabilities, international and culturally diverse students, African-American students, and student veterans.

The program aims to “increase awareness of mental health, crisis intervention, and suicide prevention in the LaGuardia and outside community through evidence-based practice training of faculty, staff, and students,” according to Regina Varin-Mignano, manager of the Health and Wellness Education and Grant Development.

The team hopes to train 500 faculty and staff over the course of five years, including counselors, human services faculty, public safety, and 500 students.

Off-campus resources and facilities will collaborate with the project, assisting students with clinical support and additional resources that may not be available within LaGuardia’s Wellness Center.