House Bill 28

During 2015, HB 28 was enacted by the State of Ohio with an effective date of October 16, 2016. The bill requires each public institution of higher education to provide incoming students with information about mental health topics, including available depression and suicide prevention resources. Ohio State Representative Marlene Anielski of Cuyahoga County proposed this law to bolster suicide prevention efforts through communication channels at public colleges and universities. Each of Ohio Institution of Higher Learning must comply by developing methods and materials to help their campus populations access resources on the following topics:

• Crisis intervention  – including national state and local hotlines 
• Mental Health Programs – availability of local mental health services 
• Multimedia Applications – including crisis hotline, suicide warnings, and resources offered, and free applications 
• Student Communication – outreach plan for education and activities regarding suicide prevention 
• Postvention  –  plan of how to communicate with students, staff and parents after a loss of a person to suicide

The bill also requires that the Ohio Department of Higher Education and the Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services post free suicide prevention material and programs on their websites. These state agencies have developed this website as a portal to resources that will help Ohio's public state colleges and universities to meet their requirement.