Rutgers, NJ Launch Mental Health Lifeline for College Students Statewide

Rutgers University Behavioral Health Care, in collaboration with the New Jersey Department of Human Services, is spearheading a statewide push to bolster mental health services for college-aged adults amid reports of rising anxiety and crises. The partnership builds on recent expansions, including the August 2023 opening of the state's first Crisis Receiving Stabilization Center in Newark's Essex County, offering short-term, nonhospital support for individuals 18 and older facing mental health or substance use emergencies. Funded by state and federal dollars, the center provides under-24-hour stabilization as part of the 988 suicide and crisis lifeline continuum, diverting cases from costly emergency rooms and police involvement.