The Blue Cross and Blue Shield NC Foundation granted $1.5 million to East Carolina University’s Center for Telepsychiatry and e-Behavioral Health. This money will help the North Carolina Statewide Telepsychiatric Program bring on-campus mental health services to UNC Pembroke students.
ECU’s center plans to use these funds to boost psychiatric care. NC-STeP will start services at the Pembroke campus later this year. This new grant aims to create integrated mental health care across UNC schools using the statewide program.
“We are grateful for this new support from the Blue Cross NC Foundation to address the health care needs of college students,” said Philip Rogers, ECU chancellor, per WITN. “This grant will allow us to build on the innovative work of NC-STeP in leveraging technology to provide care in the region and across the state.”
The center uses technology to bring psychiatric services to students who might lack access to mental health care. Telepsychiatry lets trained professionals meet with patients through video calls and other online tools, connecting them from miles away.
Rogers mentioned the investment will help ECU grow its work in providing care throughout North Carolina. The chancellor said the grant builds on NC-STeP’s existing efforts to use technology for mental health treatment, expanding what’s already working.
Mental health resources on college campuses have become a focus for state schools. Student wellness has become a priority through grants to universities from the Blue Cross and Blue Shield NC Foundation.
The Center for Telepsychiatry and e-Behavioral Health operates out of ECU in Greenville. It serves as the hub for NC-STeP’s operations across the state.