It has always been our top priority to provide students with high-quality medical and well-being services while espousing the values of Johns Hopkins.
We also recognize that 2020 has been a time of extreme stress and uncertainty, and that the dual pandemics of COVID-19 and systemic racism have disproportionately and tragically affected Black people and other people of color.
We have been listening and we are committed to making meaningful changes to support our students who have been historically underrepresented and marginalized.
Some of our recent efforts on staff recruitment, training, and support are as follows.
At Homewood, Student Outreach & Support (SOS) hired two new case managers, one of whom has a focus on FLI (First Generation and Low-Income) students who are statistically more likely to be from marginalized groups. The counseling center has historically had several positions focused on the coordination of services for marginalized communities such as Latinx, Asian, International, LGBTQ+, Black and FLI students. Homewood counseling remains committed to these positions, including a current search for the recently vacated coordinator for services for Black students.
For non-Homewood students, we have created and are currently recruiting for two new clinical positions specifically focusing on underrepresented and historically marginalized populations: a JHSAP clinician who will provide counseling services and will coordinate outreach efforts and support, and a therapist position on the UHS Mental Health team.
We are committed to the ongoing education and educational development of our healthcare providers and staff, with a focus on trainings specific to the well-being of underrepresented students, and we are in the process of implementing a regular training schedule for all staff across the SHWB team in partnership with the Office of Diversity, Inclusion and Health Equity, and the JHU Chief Diversity Officer.
Training subject matter includes unconscious bias, cultural competency, diversity and inclusion, and Safe Zone training on LGBTQ+ perspectives. Additional optional trainings have included sessions on Black men and mental health, microaggressions, and coping with racism and racial trauma.
In addition to the post on this site with coping strategies for racial trauma, JHSAP offered a Discussion Space Related to Social Justice and Anti-Racism for SOM students on June 4, 2020, with additional sessions available on request. JHSAP can respond to requests for tailored workshops and discussions on this topic; please contact jhsap@jhu.edu if you are interested. At Homewood, the counseling center is offering a drop-in virtual racial trauma group open to all JHU students. For more information please visit this site.
Students have access to a remote counseling platform for scheduled telehealth appointments and 24/7 on-demand mental health needs through TimelyMD, which has a directory of diverse providers. Most of the TimelyMD providers have profile pictures and short bios, describing their background and expertise.
All Hopkins students can access a directory of mental health clinicians at https://jhu.thrivingcampus.com/.
If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions, please feel free to reach out to wellness@jhu.edu. We know that this work is more important now than ever.