Category: Access to Care

JED Campus recommends that IHEs develop or refine memoranda of understanding (MOUs) with local emergency and mental health services that they regularly interact with or rely on in the pursuit of well-coordinated access to care. Below are sample MOUs that you can use as models in developing your own:

• Counseling Center – Student Health Center – Hospital MOU
• Between college and rape crisis center
• Between School and Hospital

Considerations for developing an MOU with a local emergency service:

• It is important for emergency room personnel to make all reasonable attempts to have a student sign a release to notify the school when the student is treated in the emergency department or is admitted to the hospital
  • It is important for emergency room personnel to encourage students to sign a release to communicate with the school, especially if the student is hoping to return to school upon discharge.  This way the school understands the student’s status and needs and can work with the student to effectively re-engage them on campus. Emergency room personnel and the designated contact at the college’s counseling center need to discuss discharge planning prior to the student’s discharge in order to determine whether the student can be serviced on campus or will require a referral to a community provider.
• Designate a point person on campus as the contact person for communication with the hospital
  • If the school initiates a student hospitalization, this point person is responsible for sending the student to the emergency room with appropriate documentation (i.e. referral and insurance information) and the contact information for the school’s point person.
• Negotiate a plan to avoid discharging students at odd hours (i.e. in the middle of the night) when few resources are available to help with transition back to campus
• If possible, develop an arrangement whereby students are fast-tracked in emergency room

Considerations for developing an MOU with community mental health providers

• If possible, develop an arrangement for provider to expedite seeing students referred from the school.  You may establish a relationship with several providers who can be relied upon to accommodate situations in which a student needs to be seen quickly and who are willing to accept students who are considered high-risk
• Negotiate a plan for provider to offer a sliding scale fee or a reduced fee when necessary for students referred from the school
• Community clinicians need to be informed and sensitive around student schedules.  For example, have the ability to accommodate/reschedule sessions during exam times and maintain flexibility about sessions missed because of school vacation or summer break
• It is valuable to identify providers within specific specialty areas-especially those that may complement the staffing profile of the campus service (e.g., substance abuse, trauma, eating disorders, borderline personality disorder and sexual identity concern specialists)
• As part of the agreement, develop a  tracking system for students who are considered high-risk as well as a plan for providers to communicate student emergencies to the school’s counseling center, with the consent of the student
• Determine a plan with community providers to establish a communication plan that facilitates collaborative care between the community provider and the school (i.e. medication management, therapy, disability services, etc.)
• Designate methods and protocols for communication between counseling center staff and community providers
• Provide an opportunity for community therapists and clinic staff to come to campus annually to meet with counseling and health center staff to develop ongoing working relationships – this is a valuable chance to get to know the local providers and to update them on campus trends and college mental health issues

Additional guidelines for creating MOUs

• California Community Colleges-MOU-Planning-Guide-and-Template