Purdue program gets funding to address substance abuse and promote good mental health

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. —  Multiple Purdue groups are collaborating to design programs to combat substance abuse and to promote mental health.

The Wellness Programs in the Division of Recreation and Wellness, in partnership with the Campus Improvement Team, the Mental Wellness Task Force and the Brian Lamb School of Communication, are creating programs that will be funded through a grant from the Indiana Division of Mental Health and Addiction.

“This is all about our students. What additional steps, if any, are needed so that all of our students can succeed in and out of the classroom?” said Tammy Loew, senior assistant director of Wellness Programs, Division of Recreation and Wellness. “We look forward to talking with students in the recovery community, students who are more interested in practicing mindfulness and other practices to reduce stress, and faculty and staff to see how we can best support them in communicating appropriate messages to students.”

The $155,250 grant will fund a two-year program that will be focused on assessment during the first year and then be put toward implementing pilot programs that address substance abuse prevention and promote good mental health.  

 “The interdisciplinary, collaborative nature of this project is something special that I feel will help boost the efficacy of the programs that are created through this grant and potentially offer a successful framework for other schools to follow,” said Evan Perrault, assistant professor of health communication. “With expertise from partners across the university from Recreation and Wellness, Public Health, Residential Life and the Lamb School of Communication in helping to develop and evaluate all of the project’s components, we will hopefully enact efforts that will provide a greater level of effectiveness than any one entity would have been able to implement on its own.”  

Media contact: Brian Peloza, 765-496-9711, bpeloza@purdue.edu

Sources: Tammy Loew, tfloew@purdue.edu

Evan Perrault, eperraul@purdue.edu