ACHA Advocacy Initiatives
Because the college students of today are tomorrow’s workforce and leaders, facilitating and prioritizing their access to quality health care today will ultimately help ensure their future success.
Hanover, MD (PRWEB) November 04, 2016
The American College Health Association (ACHA) has published an open letter to the next president of the United States as a means to ensure that the health, well-being, and safety of our nation’s college students remains a priority in the next administration.
ACHA offers a three-point agenda of college health priorities to be addressed ideally within the new president’s first 100 days in office:
1. Expand Resources for Campus Mental Health Services and Suicide Prevention
ACHA implores the new administration to prioritize the adoption of the bipartisan-supported Mental Health on Campus Improvement Act and any related bills that would expand funding opportunities for increased adolescent/young adult mental health resources and suicide prevention initiatives.
2. Address Technical Fixes to the Affordable Care Act to Improve College Health Insurance Accessibility
ACHA asks the new administration to support legislative and regulatory approaches protecting the viability of student health insurance plans to retain the breadth of health insurance options currently available to college students.
3. Preserve Flexibilities to Protect Student Privacy Concerning Sexual Assault
ACHA encourages the new administration to extend the same privacy protection that licensed campus therapists and counselors commonly have under state and federal law to the lay volunteers and staff members on campus who also provide victim support and advocacy. ACHA offers further recommendations in its guidelines on addressing sexual assault.
This letter reminds the next president that because the college students of today are tomorrow’s workforce and leaders, facilitating and prioritizing their access to quality health care today will ultimately help ensure their future success.
About ACHA
The American College Health Association (ACHA), founded in 1920, is a national nonprofit association serving as the nation’s principal leadership organization for advancing the health of college students and campus communities through advocacy, education, and research. ACHA represents a diverse membership that provides and supports the delivery of health care, prevention, and wellness services for the nation’s 20 million college students. ACHA advocates for student health by integrating the critical role of college health into the mission of higher education. For more information about the association visit http://www.acha.org.