The Center for Behavioral Health and Accessibility (CBHA) held their annual fall Health and Wellness Fair during National Suicide Prevention Week on the third floor of the University Center Sept. 9.

Substance Use Counselor John Nimmo was responsible for planning the event this year. Nimmo said the CBHA hosts an event every fall and spring.

“We try to have at least two events, and often, it’s more than that,” Nimmo said. “This year it’s different than in past years because we can’t have the contact we normally have with students.”

Nimmo said the resources the CBHA provides, such as de-stress kits and safety kits, are important resources for students.

“We have de-stress kits that contain materials that can help students cope with stress, and then we have safety kits that can help them be aware of some of the risks they might face,” Nimmo said.

Nimmo said they use the health and wellness fair to attempt to reach as many students on campus as possible.

Bailey Seaton, a junior studying early childhood education, said it’s important students understand mental health issues are normal.

“I think it’s really important that they’re putting a light on it and giving us stuff to help with our mental health,” Seaton said. “It’s normal to have mental health issues, and it’s OK to normalize and not be afraid to speak out about [mental health].”

Graduate student Emily Heinlein said she hopes the event sparks conversations about mental health issues.

“That’s why we do events like this, to help have conversations about mental health,” Heinlein said. “That’s why we like to provide resources to students to help them relax and de-stress throughout the semester.”

Nimmo said the campus participates in a survey through the Missouri Assessment of College Health Behaviors. The last survey taken was prior to the pandemic in February. Nimmo said he expects the stress and anxiety numbers to be higher than normal due to the pandemic when they administer the survey again later this month.

“We definitely needed to address those problems, and certainly since that time, it’s been worse,” Nimmo said. “We have a student wellness survey that’s going to be coming out at the end of September [that] will help us gauge that even more.”

The CBHA, previously called Counselling Disability Services, changed their name going into the Fall 2020 semester.

“I like the name a lot better,” Nimmo said. “It’s a mouthful, but it gives a better idea of what we do, and we want to promote student wellness.”

The Center for Behavioral Health and Accessibility is located in Crisp Hall 201-202. You can also reach them via phone at (573) 986-6191 or via email, ucs@semo.edu.