Seven new designations added to Colorado’s Hunger Free and Healthy Minds campuses
DENVER, Colo. (KRDO)--The Colorado Department of Higher Education (CDHE) is expanding its services for its student success initiative by adding seven new designations to its list of Hunger Free and Healthy Minds campuses.
According to the CDHE, there are 25 institutions currently who have the Healthy Minds designation and 26 institutions who have the Hunger Free designation.
CDHE created the Hunger Free and Healthy Minds Campus Checklist to work with existing resources on college campuses to offer a variety of options to ensure the needs of students are met.
Colorado colleges and universities use the checklists to implement four core programs and six-focused initiatives to receive a hunger free or healthy minds designation, according to the CDHE.
The newest institutions to receive these designations include:
Healthy Minds:
- Adams State University
- Aims Community College
- Otero College
- University of Colorado Colorado Springs
Hunger Free:
- Otero College
- University of Colorado Colorado Springs
- Western Colorado University
For Adams State University, “Gab With a Grizzly,” helps students break the stigma of counseling by allowing students to request appointments online and get online counseling immediately rather than scheduling calls or walk-ins.
At UCCS, emergency and crisis contact information is included on all digital student ID in addition to its established food pantry for students.
Otero College offers Team-Based Mental Health Sessions to specifically support student-athletes in addition to its also six-established food pantries
Aims Community College, on the other hand, has a Recovery Steering Committee that focuses on substance misuse and prevention. The group offers Recovery Allyship Zone training focused on destigmatizing recovery.
Finally, schools like Western Colorado University recently opened its food pantry, the Mountaineer Food Hub, in February 2023 for all of its students.
