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UNF joins campaign for mental health funding, requests $578k to expand staff

Jacksonville, Fl. — The University of North Florida has signed on to a campaign with Florida’s other public universities requesting additional funding for mental health services from state lawmakers.

UNF joined the "Safer, Smarter, Stronger" initiative with the goal of adding six full-time employees to the Counseling Center staff. In total, the state's universities are requesting $14.5 million to hire 137 staff members. UNF is asking for $578,760 from the state to fill its positions.

The director of the Counseling Center, Dr. Andrew King, says the wait time for students to receive non-crisis counseling services can be as much as three weeks, which he finds problematic to the state’s goals.

“The students will not get the help they need, when they need it, and things will get worse,” King told WOKV. “Even students who only come in and see us three times a week, their retention rates are better, their graduation rates and they graduate with fewer excess hours.”

King says this success rate aligns with Florida Gov. Rick Scott's "Finish in Four, Save More" campaign to have students finish college in four years.

According to date provided by the university, Counseling Center staff members had more nearly 8,000 appointments with students from 2015-16.

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