5.20 – Suicide Prevention and Awareness

A.    Purpose

To establish protocol for communicating the availability of suicide prevention and awareness resources to the college community.

B.    Policy

The college will maintain suicide prevention and awareness resources and will communicate the availability of these resources to the college community as required by RSMo173.1200.

C.    Procedures

OTC will publish suicide prevention and awareness resources on its webpages with information that includes, but is not limited to, the following:

  • Crisis intervention access for national, state, and local suicide prevention hotlines.
  • Mental health program access, which provides information on the availability of local mental health clinics, health services, and college counseling services.
  • Multimedia application access, which includes crisis hotline contact information, suicide warning signs, resources offered, and free-of-cost applications and print materials.

OTC also maintains student communication plans and post intervention plans to communicate the availability of resources and the protocol followed to communicate with students, employees and families after the loss of a student to suicide. These internal communication plans are maintained by OTC’s Counseling Services department.

Mental Health Education

New and continuing OTC students and employees will have access to information about mental health topics, including depression and suicide prevention. In addition to comprehensive online resources, mental health education will be made available in a variety of platforms and will include the following:

  • OTC Cares informational video available on the OTC Cares webpages.
  • OTC Cares and Counseling Services presentations available system-wide upon request,
  • Information on college information channel monitors.
  • Professional development presentations offered to employees and student organization members upon request.
  • Suicide and crisis hotline three-digit dialing code (988) printed on student id cards.
  • System-wide emails to the college community highlighting available resources.

Anonymous Reporting

Through the OTC Cares online reporting system, anonymous reports can be submitted by members of the college community if someone is concerned about the safety and well-being of another individual.

D.    Definitions

College Community is students, faculty and staff of the college, the Board of Trustees, visitors, contractors and consultants performing work or services on college-owned or leased properties and all other invitees of the college.

OTC Cares is a collaboration of offices and departments throughout the college that exists to
provide strategic assistance and support to students in pursuit of their academic goals and to
promote the safety and wellness of every OTC student.

E.    Authority

This policy is maintained under the authority of the executive vice chancellor for institutional and student success.

F.    Related Policies

N/A

G.    Implementation

Purpose, procedures, responsibilities and definitions approved and adopted by the Cabinet on 02/06/2018, 04/21/2020 and 05/14/2024.

Policy approved and adopted by the Board of Trustees on 03/12/2018, revised 05/11/2020 and revised 06/12/2024.

Set for review 2026–2027.