Mental Health Summit to be hosted by MAC, NCAA
The Mid-American Conference is hosting a Mental Health Summit alongside the NCAA on Tuesday in Cleveland.
The event features multiple guest speakers, including Dr. Franciose Adan of University Hospitals', a leading healthcare provider in Northeast Ohio, the Chief Medical Officer for the NCAA Dr. Brian Hainline and MAC Commissioner Dr. Jon Steinbrecher.
These speakers will discuss multiple topics of mental health, including identifying problems, discussing solutions and highlighting best practices on membership campuses. The Summit also falls on MAC Mental Health Awareness Week.
“The well-being of our students is a major focus by MAC membership, and central to this issue is mental health awareness and the varying issues related to this complex issue,” Steinbrecher said in a release Monday.
The Mental Health Summit’s goal is to focus on student well-being. The idea came from the MAC’s Mental Health Task Force, which was presented at the MAC Joint Council meeting last May.
The Mental Health Task Force was created by Steinbrecher in 2013. It was chaired by University of Toledo Senior Associate Athletic Director Kelly Andrews. They recommended a three-pronged approach to the mental health issues of students to include proactive actions, best practice recommendations and follow-up protocol with appropriate personnel.
The MAC Joint Council approved of these recommendations and they have been using these during the entire 2015-16 academic year.
“Mental health issues are challenging and it is important to educate coaches, administrators and students on the complexity of mental health issues, and then ultimately to provide the appropriate resources and assistance needed for their well-being," Steinbrecher said.
At MAC media day on July 30, Steinbrecher said student-athlete health is important, but mental health is not talked about enough. He said one in four adults ages 18 to 24 struggle with mental health and 85 percent of certified athletics trainers believe anxiety disorders are an issue with student-athletes on their campuses.
"We must and we will remove the stigma associated with this topic, as well as provide safe havens for students to seek and receive assistance and appropriate treatment," Steinbrecher said. "We need to emphasize to all, that it is OK to not be OK."
Assistant Sports Editor Andrew Surma contributed to this article.
