Inside the deal giving New Jersey college students 24/7 access to mental health services


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In the fall of 2021, the state of New Jersey surveyed thousands of college students in the thick of the COVID-19 crisis to better grasp how it had affected their mental well-being.

Polls consistently showed the pandemic taxed student mental health, but the findings of the New Jersey survey still jarred state officials — more than 70% of respondents said their anxiety was higher in fall 2021 than it was a year earlier.

The New Jersey Office of the Secretary of Higher Education wanted to do something. 

So it crafted a new program, which it cast as first-of-its-kind in the U.S., that provides free around-the-clock online mental health services to college students, such as therapy sessions. It was funded through $10 million in one-time federal pandemic relief dollars given to the state.

Any type of institution — two- and four-year, public or private nonprofit — could opt in without any expense so long as they received state aid.

New Jersey contracted with telehealth platform Uwill to create the program. Uwill emerged during the pandemic as demand for online counseling skyrocketed, helping grow its business. But its contract with New Jersey is its largest yet, said Uwill’s chief executive and founder, Michael London.

The program is still in its infancy, with the state announcing it late last month. It will be evaluating it on multiple metrics, like how much students tap into it, said Brian Bridges, New Jersey’s higher education secretary.

It could be a model for states looking to scale virtual programs that address mental health concerns. And it may also serve as a test case for the willingness of state policymakers to invest in college projects funded by temporary federal pandemic aid. Billions of dollars of this money benefited colleges directly but also went to local and state governments, and the funding pool is running dry.

What does the program look like?

New Jersey didn’t know exactly what it wanted when it requested information from contractors about the types of mental health services they could offer, Bridges said. 

However, state officials knew student problems can arise anytime of the day, and they gleaned through the survey that landing an on-campus therapy appointment during the traditional 9-to-5 workday had proven challenging. College counseling centers were overburdened far before the spread of COVID-19, but the uptick in pandemic-era mental health challenges broke them even further.

Thus, the state sought something “that could meet students where they are,” including in the comfort of their dormitories, Bridges said, noting the survey also revealed a stigma with visiting wellness centers in person. 

It landed on Uwill, which London, the CEO, believes was partially because students can immediately access its services. Uwill has also grown significantly since its inception in 2020, now working with more than 150 colleges and a few high schools, London said. Last month it announced it had locked down $30 million in Series A funding from a private equity firm.

Once the state struck a deal with Uwill, the company worked with colleges that wanted to take advantage of the initiative — 96% of eligible institutions signed on to it, Bridges said. The resulting 44 colleges included big-name institutions such as Rutgers and Princeton universities, as well as many community colleges.

Uwill’s services in the program come in three buckets — on-the-spot crisis counseling, sessions with licensed therapists and general wellness options, like guided yoga. Uwill started teasing out with colleges which of the components were best for their campus, London said. Most of the colleges wanted all of the services, he said.



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Jeremy Bauer-Wolf

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