<\/p>\n
Gannon University has been recognized by the Pennsylvania Department of Education as a PA CARES Certified Suicide Prevention Institution of Higher Education, highlighting the university’s commitment to supporting student mental health, well-being and suicide prevention.<\/p>\n
The designation places Gannon among Pennsylvania colleges and universities that have demonstrated a comprehensive approach to mental health awareness, crisis intervention and suicide prevention through the implementation of student-focused support systems and resources. The university was recently included on the state’s 2026-27 list of PA CARES-certified institutions under Act 110 of 2018.<\/p>\n
The recognition arrives as communities nationwide observe Suicide Prevention Awareness Month in September, an annual effort to promote mental health education, reduce stigma and encourage conversations about emotional well-being. At Gannon, the designation reinforces ongoing efforts to connect students, faculty and staff with critical mental health resources and support services.<\/p>\n
Suicide remains a significant concern for college campuses nationwide. The National Institute of Mental Health estimates that approximately 1,100 college students die by suicide each year, while researchers at Prevent Suicide PA identify suicide as the second-leading cause of death among college students in the United States. These statistics underscore the importance of proactive prevention efforts and accessible support services at institutions of higher education.<\/p>\n
To qualify for PA CARES certification, institutions must establish and maintain a comprehensive Student Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Plan. These plans must include information about suicide prevention hotlines, crisis intervention services, mental health counseling resources and other support mechanisms designed to assist students in times of need.<\/p>\n
As part of its ongoing commitment, Gannon continues to promote mental health awareness and suicide prevention initiatives throughout the academic year. The university also recognizes observances such as World Suicide Prevention Day, using these opportunities to encourage education, dialogue and support across the campus community.<\/p>\n
The university encourages anyone experiencing emotional distress or concern for a loved one to contact the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, which provides free and confidential support 24 hours a day, seven days a week through call or text services.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Gannon University has been recognized by the Pennsylvania Department of Education as a PA CARES Certified Suicide Prevention…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":283361,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[136,138,137,9677,4346,47,118172,59914],"class_list":["post-283360","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-erie","tag-erie","tag-erie-headlines","tag-erie-news","tag-gannon-university","tag-higher-education","tag-mental-health","tag-pa-cares","tag-suicide-prevention"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/283360","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=283360"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/283360\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/283361"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=283360"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=283360"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=283360"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}