Ocean County College receives $125K Center for Mental Health Services Projects of Regional and National Significance grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration

Ocean County College gls waves II institutionalization project - Ocean County College (occ) will implement the occ waves II institutionalization project in toms river, New Jersey, to embed suicide and alcohol and drug abuse prevention and mental health and wellness into the college culture. The project will serve the entire occ student body, including credit and non-credit students, traditional-aged students, student veterans, and adult learners throughout ocean county. Waves II will institutionalize campus-wide prevention and wellness infrastructure, expand early identification and referral capacity through training, strengthen crisis response and community partnerships, normalize help-seeking, and use data to improve and sustain project activities. Strategies include integration with recovery programming and community substance use disorder referral partners; standardized screening, safety planning, crisis response, and referral protocols; strengthened linkages to pess, crest, 988, and community providers; warm handoffs and referrals for evidence-based treatment and co-occurring disorder support; case management and follow-up; and quarterly dashboard review of intake concerns, c-ssrs data, crisis referrals, training reach, and service utilization. An internal waves II implementation team representing college areas that engage with students will lead implementation, supported by a project director, operations specialist, project administrator, and deputy project director.