Colleges and universities looking for telemedicine/telehealth services for students and employees are applauding the launch of mycollegedoctor.com.

The service launched an organized campaign this week to reach 500 campuses by the end of the year, according to Larry Peterson, co-founder.

This new telehealth service is nationwide and offers 24/7 access to board certified physicians for person-to-person consultation within 15 minutes of being requested.

In addition, almost any medication needed from the consultation can be obtained for no additional cost at over 65,000 pharmacies nationwide when prescribed by its physicians. Members are given a coupon over their smartphone to present to their pharmacy for prescription pickup.

As part of membership, mycollegedoctor.com also offers mental health services 24/7 and lifestyle coaching for improving the mind, body, and soul.

The business was started after co-founder Larry Sheffield’s son was diagnosed with Meningitis during his freshman year of college, and he struggled to find real-time resources to consult with a physician during the weekend. “As most colleges have limited hours and access to student health, the necessary resources were not available when we needed it most,” Sheffield said. “With mycollegedoctor.com you have access to a doctor’s opinion any time you need it.”

“We tailored a college-driven program with two clicks on a smart phone to access 75% of what college students might need during their enrollment,” says Sheffield.

“Telehealth, mental health, anxiety, addiction, relationship issues, dermatology . . . You name it, we cover it,” states Sheffield.

UNLV, Washington University, and Neumann University have all deployed Telehealth services as part of their student health coverage during 2020. In addition, the COVID-19 pandemic has exposed healthcare inequities while speeding up a future in which better care can be more accessible. College students may not have access to transportation or want to go to a student health center during these times, but all students have a smartphone. With My College Doctor, that’s all they need to connect with a healthcare professional.

The service is a subsidiary of Advanced Health Strategies of Phoenix, Arizona.
For more information contact: info@mycollegedoctor.com or call Tara in Administrative Support at 602-568-8550.

More information can be found at www.mycollegedoctor.com.

ABOUT MY COLLEGE DOCTOR, LLC
mycollegedoctor.com is a nationwide telemedicine health service for college and university students and faculty located in Phoenix, AZ. Offering Telemedicine consolation with board certified doctors, pharmacy services, mental health services, and lifestyle coaching services. Products and services are tailored for college students.

ABOUT ADVANCED HEALTH STRATEGIES, LLC
Advanced Health Strategies is a company that targets affordable health care platforms, innovations, options and services to businesses and organizations. We provide real doctors in real time with real benefits to our members through a variety of innovative healthcare solutions. In a changing world, we provide affordable access to quality healthcare services for all. For information see www.advancedhealthstrategies.com.

The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi– the nation’s oldest and most selective all-discipline collegiate honor society– is currently accepting applications for its Graduate Research Grant and Dissertation Fellowship Award.

Introduced in 2018 as a pilot program, the Graduate Research Grant will provide up to $1,500 to 20 eligible members who are enrolled in a graduate program. These grants provide funding for research in support of career development opportunities. For full eligibility requirements, visit www.phikappaphi.org/graduateresearch.

Ten Dissertation Fellowships of $10,000 each will be awarded to eligible members in the dissertation writing stage of their doctoral study. For full eligibility requirements, visit www.phikappaphi.org/dissertation.

Since 1932, Phi Kappa Phi’s awards program has recognized members and students on its chapter campuses for outstanding academic achievement. Each year $1 million is awarded through programs that last year recognized more than 350 individuals.

About Phi Kappa Phi
Founded in 1897, Phi Kappa Phi is the nation’s oldest and most selective collegiate honor society for all academic disciplines. Phi Kappa Phi inducts approximately 30,000 students, faculty, professional staff and alumni annually. The Society has chapters on more than 325 select colleges and universities in the United States and the Philippines. Membership is by invitation only to the top 10 percent of seniors and graduate students and 7.5 percent of juniors. Faculty, professional staff and alumni who have achieved scholarly distinction also qualify. The Society’s mission is “To recognize and promote academic excellence in all fields of higher education and engage the community of scholars in service to others.” For more information, visit www.PhiKappaPhi.org.

Media Contact
Alyssa Perez
Communications Director
aperez@phikappaphi.org
(225) 923-7777

Tech, software and programming teams create solutions for real-world business challenges

MILWAUKEE – October 1, 2020 – Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE: ROK) the world’s largest company dedicated to industrial automation and digital transformation, announced today the winners of its 24toCode hackathon, the first virtual contest of its kind honoring tech wizards for creative business solutions.

The hackathon event, held from September 17-19, and in partnership with Cisco, provided a virtual forum for technology, software coding and programming teams globally to apply their problem-solving skills to real-world challenges that affect the industrial software and automation industry.

“At Rockwell Automation, we promote a learn-by-doing culture. We know that innovation results from the collaboration of different voices exchanging and cultivating new ideas,” said Chris Nardecchia, senior vice president of information technology and chief information officer at Rockwell Automation. “It is wonderful to see a group of people from diverse backgrounds and geographies come together to solve real-world business problems, by combining human ingenuity with machine and operations data.”

Teams developed solutions for one of four business challenges in the categories of manufacturing optimization, sustainability, visual system modernization and dynamic filtering.

“In this new working environment, it is all about disrupting. It is no longer about thinking outside the box; there is no box. We must throw out everything we know and get to work finding new ways to fix things in our world,” said Ruba Borno, senior vice president and general manager, Global CX Centers at Cisco. “The spirit of innovation and intellectual curiosity is at the core of 24toCode, and we are proud to be part of it.”

A total of $10,000 was awarded to winners with prize money split equally among team members. The 24toCode winning teams and their projects:

First place ($4,000 prize)
Team: NoNameJustCode
Team Members: Thomas Keller (Germany), Christian Renner (Germany), Stefan Schotte (France) and Sven Thiel (Germany)
Solution for dynamic filtering: The team developed code that collects data in real-time from all points on a plant floor and transmits it into the cloud as fast as possible. Plant engineers can then identify issues at all stages of manufacturing and what devices caused them to mitigate further disruption to operations.

Second place ($3,000 prize)
Team: Death Star Contractors
Team Members: Shahid Anchummal, Eiven Wong and Manju Venugopal (Singapore)
Solution for visual system modernization: Members created a visualization tool that helps customers understand the compatibility of their current systems. The dashboard shows where a customer’s equipment is in its lifecycle and produces recommendations for new solutions and products.

Third place ($2,000 prize)
Team: Rockwell Imachination
Team Members: Meiling He, Xiangyong Luo, Gino Maulini and Simon J. Vancina (United States)
Solution for manufacturing optimization: The team designed an automated daily employee staffing assignment schedule for manufacturing facilities. The innovative approach automates the time-consuming manual planning process leading to greater productivity and output

Honorable mention ($1,000 prize)
Team: CRON
Team Members: Julian Singkham, Aqeel Al Shafei, Noah Kennedy and Isaiah Rondeau (United States)
Solution for dynamic filtering: The team developed a way of identifying anomalies in the manufacturing process. The team demonstrated success in transmitting data into the cloud for real-time use. The programming allowed the team to identify and mitigate disruption to manufacturing operations.

Fifty-two teams participated in 24toCode, with more than 200 participants from every region of the world, including innovators from Australia, Chile, China, Colombia, France, Germany, India, Japan, Mexico, Poland and the United Kingdom.

This diverse set of participants ranged from high school and college students to experienced professionals and from a variety of backgrounds. Engineers, developers, software engineers and students engaged with Rockwell Automation subject matter experts over the two-day event to solve real-world problems relating to OT/IT convergence, sustainability, manufacturing scheduling, system compatibility and migration.

Rockwell Automation’s 24toCode first launched in in 2019 in Mayfield Heights, Ohio, with a subsequent event in Milwaukee. This year’s virtual format allowed for a global participant base.

As the world of connected devices continues to boom, Rockwell Automation remains committed to working with talented individuals through innovative events like 24toCode to further expand what is possible and to make the world more productive and more sustainable.

About Rockwell Automation
Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE: ROK), is a global leader in industrial automation and digital transformation. We connect the imaginations of people with the potential of technology to expand what is humanly possible, making the world more productive and more sustainable. Headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Rockwell Automation employs approximately 23,000 problem solvers dedicated to our customers in more than 100 countries. To learn more about how we are bringing The Connected Enterprise to life across industrial enterprises, visit www.rockwellautomation.com

Media contact
Kolve Byrd
Global External Communications
+1 414-553-4661
KAByrd@ra.rockwell.com

http://MyResearchTool.com

MyResearchTool.com has now launched. It is an artificial intelligence enhanced research tool that helps university students and professionals find the right books and articles fast. It’s free to use and there are no ads.

MyResearchTool.com is designed for the current “work from home” environment. It serves those without easy access to a library. It is also useful as a supplementary research tool for those with good digital library services. MyResearchTool uses artificial intelligence to do something that a Google search cannot do. Based on text and question input, it suggests the most relevant material for researchers to read or review.

MyResearchTool.com provides users with the benefits of a personal reference librarian. Initiating a query is simple. The user can input anything from a few keywords to an entire paper. The tool identifies relevant books and articles to use in the next stage of research. These materials can then be found through the school library or online.

MyResearchTool.com is a personal research librarian serving users on a 24/7 basis over the web. It is free to use. It includes no advertising.

MyResearchTool.com saves the time and effort of searching through the screens full of useless links that occur with a a simple Google search.

MyResearchTool.com accepts unstructured queries of up to 10,000 words. Users can input rough notes, an outline, the transcript of a lecture, a full paper or journal article, or even a book chapter. The tool also accepts from 1 to 6 keywords as input. The more you input, the more targeted and relevant will be the results. Suggested book results are shown from Google Books and suggested articles from Google Scholar.

MyResearchTool.com is a free service offered by the American Society for Cybernetics in conjunction with Contegra Systems and Michael Lissack.

Media Contact
Michael Lissack
michael.lissack@gmail.com
(617) 710-9565

College students can sign up for a six-month trial of Prime Student to enjoy thousands of movies and shows, ad-free music, fast, free delivery and more

Summer is now behind us and the new school year is finally here! Whether students are heading back to campus, attending the semester virtually or anything in between, Amazon has a great deal to help them out – Prime Student. Prime Student is designed for college students and offers the best of shopping and entertainment from Amazon for half the cost of a Prime membership. Members can get fast, free delivery on millions of Prime-eligible items, stream ad-free music, watch thousands of movies and TV shows on Prime Video, pick up free games and loot with Prime Gaming, receive exclusive savings and discounts on college essentials, and more. Students enrolled in two- and four-year colleges can learn more at amazon.com/primestudent and enjoy a six-month trial when they sign up for Prime Student.

Exclusive Perks with Prime Student:

Prime Student offers convenience, savings and entertainment to help students get the most out of their college experience.

• Fast, free delivery: Get fast, free delivery on millions of items, including college essentials. Plus, enjoy free two-hour grocery delivery from Amazon Fresh and Whole Foods Market in more than 2,000 cities and towns.

• Binge-worthy entertainment: Stream thousands of movies and TV shows on Prime Video, including popular Amazon Originals like The Boys and Chemical Hearts. Plus, eligible Prime Student members can get up to 1 year of SHOWTIME® for 99 cents per month from Prime Video Channels, perfect for movie-nights and exploring SHOWTIME® original series in your dorm or at home.

• Stream millions of songs, ad-free: Stream two million songs and thousands of playlists and stations at no additional cost with Amazon Music. Plus, Prime Student members can access Amazon Music Unlimited at just 99 cents per month. The ad-free streaming tier includes over 60 million songs including the latest releases, and thousands of playlists and stations so you can always be up-to-date with the latest hits.

• Page turner: Get unlimited access to more than 1,000 books and magazines with Prime Reading. Plus, Prime Student members can access a free two-month trial of Kindle Unlimited and read over a million titles on any device with the free Kindle app – bookworms, delight!

• Textbooks made easy: Prime Student members can enjoy free shipping and savings up to 90% on textbook rentals you need for class. Amazon Textbooks allows you to buy or rent all of your textbooks without ever leaving the comfort of your couch.

• Game on: With Prime Gaming, members enjoy tons of free, exclusive content for their favorite games, including Apex Legends, Destiny 2, and Red Dead Online. Plus, they can claim a collection of PC games for free every month that are theirs to keep forever, and a monthly Twitch channel subscription.

• Unlimited photo storage: Prime Student members get unlimited, full-resolution photo storage and 5 GB of video storage that’s accessible across your devices. Plus, with Amazon Photos, you can personalize Echo Show and Fire TV devices with your favorite photos, create custom prints, photo albums or wall décor, and share selected photos and videos with friends and family.

Shop College Essentials on Amazon’s Off-to-College Store:

Amazon’s Off to College store has everything college students need, whether they’re getting ready for video calls or decorating a dorm room for the first time. With the College Shopping Guide, checking off the college essentials is easy. Visit Amazon.com/OffToCollege for more.

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Media Contact
Sofia Machado
smachado@hunterpr.com

What is Jazz Assistant?
Jazz Assistant is a computer software program which generates computer music . It uses specific design criteria (an algorythm) to create a printout (a musical composition). The printout can be played by humans for any musical instrument. It is designed for jazz and the blues

Benefits of Jazz Assistant
No writers block: The algorithm will produce music which will stimulate you so you can create your own jazz and blues compositions. The music created will be printed so you can use it directly or use it to inspire new jazz and blues compositions. Each selection is non-redundant, meaning that with just a small selection of the music, you will have a variety of ways you can use the musical creations. Best of all, you can use it right away. The music comes in printed score-sheets that you can study and can also play.
Share the credit, not all the royalty: Once you download the composition, it’s yours to do with as you like. My fees come through the subscription service or by your initial payment of each page. There is no requirement that share all royalties for creations you create. All that we ask is that you credit DOUGLAS CORNISH & ANDREI BELUTA as a joint composer in writing.

Listen to a sample
Each day, you can listen to a different free sample to get a free feel for what www.jazzassistant.com can do for you. The compositions create a wonderful random generation or notes and chord segments. The music is ablaze with bold brash blues progressions and jazz syncopation of musicality. It’s “cool” to listen to.

Why Jazz Assistant is unique

• Capability: The algorithm has the capabilities of creating more than 1 octodocillion pages, all original and different. By changing the decision criteria, according to a randomness factor, different capabilities can be created.

• Uniqueness: The uniqueness of the algorithm is the numerological design of the relative chords and scales and the ways the musical scales are combined. The algorithm first combines the music in an Ionian scale, then a Mixolydian scale and then resolves to a Dorian scale but diminished, or augmented, major and/or minor. The computer program uses a 2,5,1 format – a standard musical progression of chords and scales in the key of C,D,G, then back to C adjusted for all the keys in different modalities. The program is written in Java.

Background of the Creators
Douglas “Corny Cornball” Cornish has been composing and playing blues and jazz for many years. He has been working in the econometric industry a stock broker for seven years. Douglas Cornish and Andrei Beleuta, a software engineer, created the program which generates the music on April 9, 2020 since 2013.

He also started www.richno.com.So now youhaveheard of www.richno.com and www.jazzzoid.com 3 z’s…Every time you ask “what time is it?” Think of richno.com. Bring your friends in and talk to them without them knowing what y ou ask or which answers you hear.. Mellow out and listen to the view from the top of new world jazz. Every time you wantthe weather think of Jazzzoid.com.

Effie Collegiate United States has announced that call for entry is now open for the 2020-21 Effie Collegiate Brand Challenge, presented by Bose.

Modeled after the Effie Awards U.S. competition, Effie Collegiate engages tomorrow’s marketers by providing an opportunity to research, ideate, and execute comprehensive marketing communications plans that address professional-level marketing challenges for established brands.

This year’s Brand Challenge with Bose will be the first Effie Collegiate competition offered for a full academic year, with opportunities for students to participate in either the Fall 2020 or the Spring 2021 semester.

For the 2020-21 competition, Bose will challenge students to develop an integrated holiday campaign to promote Bose’s headphone/earbud innovation, targeted at the Gen Z (18-24) audience.

The Fall Semester entry deadline is October 30, 2020.

The Spring Semester entry deadline is April 1, 2021.

The competition is open to students who are currently enrolled full/part-time at accredited educational institutions, including undergraduate/graduate students, and those enrolled in portfolio programs and online courses. Entries may be submitted by teams of two to four individuals.

Entries will be reviewed by a jury of industry professionals with diverse experience across client, agency, and media companies. Selected finalists will have the opportunity to present their work to senior members of the Bose brand team. Bose will award monetary prizes to the teams named First-Place ($3,000) and Runner-Up ($2,000).

Participating professors will also gain complimentary access to the Effie Collegiate Curriculum. This is a supplementary resource provided by Effie to introduce the Effie framework for Marketing Effectiveness and illustrate how to apply these concepts to their projects with a selection of complimentary Effie-winning case studies.

Visit the Effie Collegiate website for more information, including how to register for the competition and to access entry materials.

Please note: We have made modifications to this year’s program to ensure the competition can be facilitated and completed virtually, to support remote and online participation.

Learn more & register for the competition >

Media Contact
Stephanie Pulner
info@effie.org

“Change How You Learn” Tutorials Provide Tips for Students New to Online Learning Because of COVID-19

BOSTON— August 17, 2020 – As COVID-19 forces more schools to pivot to online or hybrid instruction, Cengage, an education and technology company, is providing college students with free tutorials to help navigate online learning. The “Change How You Learn” tutorials are included with a Cengage Unlimited subscription. Cengage Unlimited gives students affordable access to more than 22,000 products, including eBooks, online homework access codes and study guides.

“Many students who had intended to take classes in-person had a difficult experience with online learning this spring when campuses closed and learning quickly moved online,” said Fernando Bleichmar, EVP and General Manager of Higher Education and Skills, Cengage. “Online learning can be intimidating and many students worry if they can be successful in an online environment. They are also worried if they can afford their education because of the financial impact of the pandemic. Cengage Unlimited helps by giving students the flexibility they need, along with affordable access to quality learning with supports to be successful in any environment.”

The “Change How You Learn” tutorials provide quick skills-based learning activities for successful online or hybrid learning. Some of the topics covered include:

• “Best Practices for Online Learning”

• Teaches students to evaluate strengths so they can tailor online learning best practices to fit their style.

• “The Challenges of Online Courses”

• Students can gain awareness of the challenges faced when taking an online course in order to understand the need for discipline and identify methods to succeed in the online learning environment.

• “Tips for Online Test Taking”

• Helps students take charge of their online testing experience by presenting strategies for before, during and after the test.

• “Connecting with Your Peers”

• With remote learning making it hard for students to connect with their peers, this tutorial looks specifically at approaches to connect with peers through online classes.

Students actively looking for a job or currently working can also access “Changing How You Work Tutorials” in the “Career Success Tips” section of their Cengage Unlimited dashboard to find helpful tips to prepare them for the global shift to remote working including tutorials like these:

• “How to Do a Video Interview”

• Student’s next job interview is likely to take place online, so it is imperative they learn to present themselves to a prospective employer in front of the camera.

• “Working Remotely”

• Student employees can learn how to evaluate their strengths and what makes them most productive during remote work in order to tailor best practices to fit their style.

Beyond academic support, students can also find support for Self-Care, including guided meditations, exercise demonstrations, and tutorials about “Managing Feelings of Loneliness” and “Maintaining Social Connections.”

A Cengage Unlimited subscription includes additional college success and career support activities to help with things like time management, financial literacy, studying techniques, health/wellness and resume building.

Since Cengage Unlimited launched in August 2018, more than 2.2 million subscribers have saved more than $200 million.

For more information on offerings within Cengage Unlimited, visit https://www.cengage.com/unlimited/ or https://www.cengage.com/unlimited/instructor/

About Cengage
Cengage is the education and technology company built for learners. As the largest US-based provider of teaching and learning materials for higher education, we offer valuable options at affordable price points. Our industry-leading initiatives include Cengage Unlimited, the first-of-its-kind all-access digital subscription service.  We embrace innovation to create learning experiences that build confidence and momentum toward the future students want. Headquartered in Boston, Cengage also serves K-12, library and workforce training markets around the world. Visit us at www.cengage.com or find us on Facebook or Twitter.

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Media Contact
Jessica Kravet
Cengage
857.329.5416
Jessica.Kravet@cengage.com

ATT: Students, Job Seekers, Educators and Media Industry Professionals:

Join Newhouse School, Howard University and UVA Deans, Plus blacklist100 Founder Kai Wright for “Jack Myers Leadership Conversation” on the “Future of Education for Media, Marketing, Advertising & Journalism” on August 13

NEW YORK, NY (August 13, 2020) ─  On Thursday, August 13 at 1:00pm ET, leading media ecologist Jack Myers, founder of MediaVillage and AdvancingDiversity.org, moderates the next “Leadership Conversation” on the “Future of Education for Media, Marketing, Advertising & Journalism  – for Industry Professionals, Educators, Students & Job Seekers,” with Dean Gracie Lawson-Borders, Howard University Cathy Hughes School of Communications; Dean Mark Lodato, S.I. Newhouse School of Communications at Syracuse University; and Andrea Press, Media Studies Department Head, University of Virginia.  The webinar is complimentary but to attend one must register at MediaVillage.com here.

Kai Wright, Founder & Curator of blacklist100 and Columbia University lecturer will join Myers for a keynote conversation to open the 90-minute live “Media Education Summit.”

“Whether you are a student, job seeker, parent, educator or media professional, you will gain valuable insight on both the short and long-term future of media education during this 90-minute webinar with leaders in the world of academia and social justice,” said Myers, an education and diversity activist for the media and advertising community who has spent decades researching and reporting on the media, marketing and advertising landscape.

Topics discussed by Wright and the Deans in conversation with Myers include:

• Recommendations for advancing relevant educational connections and collaboration between the media community and academia;
• How can we successfully attract diverse new majority talent to media and advertising professions, especially from non-traditional sources;
• How can academic institutions help feed diverse leaders into senior positions of responsibility in media, advertising and journalism;
• What are the best models for assuring that diverse students see themselves reflected in the professional ranks of the media community;
• How can we hold the media, advertising and marketing community responsible for delivering on ambitious talent development goals and what are those goals;
• What are the realities confronting college students as they enter or return to school and what are the different models being tested;
• What are college communications, journalism and advertising programs doing to adapt their curriculum to the new realities of the fake news, social media, commercial-free environment.

To quote a section of Wright’s introduction of the “blacklist100”: “Sorry, but not sorry, this isn’t a message of hope; it’s a message to stay woke. Because education, representation, and talent development are all critical components to building a healthy work environment & community for all, we cannot allow leaders to stay asleep at the wheel any longer.”

Dean Lawson-Borders is a member of the advisory board of BlackPast.org, and the editorial board of the International Journal on Media Management. Her book Media Organizations and Convergence: Case Studies of Media Convergence Pioneers focuses on convergence of technologies in media organizations.

Dean Lodato is making his first public appearance since joining the Newhouse School in July from the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University, where he established partnerships between the school and such major media outlets as NBC News, CBS News, ABC News, Univision, Fox Sports Arizona, Pac-12 Networks, E.W. Scripps Co., TEGNA and Meredith Corporation. Lodato’s career in broadcast journalism preceded his academic career, working at network affiliates in Phoenix, San Francisco, Washington, D.C., and Ft. Myers, Florida, as an investigative reporter, political correspondent, and anchor.

Andrea Press is the William R. Kenan, Jr. Professor of Media Studies and Sociology at the University of Virginia, where she founded the Media Studies Program. Professor Press is internationally known for her interdisciplinary scholarship on the media audience, on feminist media issues, and on media and social class in the U.S. She has authored the forthcoming US Media-Ready Feminism and Everyday Sexism and Women Watching Television: Gender, Class and Generation In The American Television Experience.

Jack Myers Leadership Conversations support the MediaVillage Media Industry Advancing Diversity & Economic Relief Fund efforts. Ten organizations were selected as recipients of the Relief Fund by the Advancing Diversity Council, an organization of 45 industry diversity and inclusion leaders focused on advancing diversity from advocacy to activism.  The 10 beneficiaries are: 4A’s Foundation, ADCOLOR, Advancing Diversity/Mentor’s Playlist, American Education Foundation (AEF), AAF AdCamp for High School Students, Institute for Veterans and Military Families at Syracuse University, International Radio & TV Society Foundation (IRTS), Jacaronda Foundation College Loan Relief,  John A. Reisenbach Foundation, and TD Foundation for Children of Wounded Warriors and Fallen Heroes.

For interviews with Jack Myers, who is author of the best-selling 2013 book Hooked Up: A New Generation’s Surprising Take on Sex, Politics and Saving the World and recently wrote “The numbers don’t lie, diverse workforces make companies more money,” for MarketWatch’s Opinion page; to learn more about MediaVillage’s and AdvancingDiversity.org’s diversity and education programs; or to get a copy of Myers’ white paper on “The Case for Education & Diversity as Tools for Business Growth in Marketing & Media,” contact Diane.Stefani19@gmail.com.

About MediaVillage:
MediaVillage is the media and advertising community’s leading education and diversity activist. Through our collective impact approach, we implement effective and cost efficient B2B growth solutions. For the past decade, MediaVillage, in collaboration with partners across the marketing ecosystem, has been developing innovative strategies for generating growth through education and diversity programs. Today, more than 150 companies, organizations and industry leaders are members of the MediaVillage Knowledge Exchange, a B2B Solutions Marketplace and Center of Excellence for Advancing Marketing Solutions, Diversity and Education. Follow @mediavillagecom @advdiversity

About Jack Myers:
For more than 40 years, MediaVillage founder Jack Myers has been singularly dedicated to identifying, developing, and introducing solutions to the challenges confronting media companies. As the world’s leading media ecologist, he’s a noted expert on generational and gender shifts, the impact of technological advances on business economics, and the dynamics of business growth and decline. His background includes executive roles at CBS Television, ABC Radio, Metromedia Outdoor, Television Production Partners, and UTV Cable Network. Follow @jackmyersbiz

Media Contact:
Diane Stefani
diane.stefani19@gmail.com
(917) 519-8130

Sponsored by Alkermes, Inc.

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted almost every aspect of our lives and the way the world operates, including the higher education system.¹ Campuses closed, classes moved online, vacations postponed, and carefully cultivated student support networks disabled by distance. ^1,2 Our typical routines have changed completely—and all within just a few weeks.

The COVID-19 pandemic has created a new environment with unexpected and unprecedented obstacles that may pose new mental health challenges for students.^1,3 Under normal circumstances, the transition to college and the college years can be difficult with many changes, including newfound freedom and unexpected pressures. Mental health challenges among the collegiate population are common and, in many cases, increasing.⁴ College-age students are often exposed to circumstances that can place them at risk for serious mental illnesses.⁵ These mental illnesses usually first appear in a young adult’s early 20s,^6,7 often coinciding with the college years, and by their mid-20s, 75% of those who will have a mental health disorder in their life have experienced their first onset.⁸

As we continue to navigate new challenges during this time, students and families should be aware of the impact on a person’s mental health. What can be done to differentiate between expected stressors or mental health challenges as the result of the pandemic and what could be signs that a more serious mental illness is developing?

Here are a few things to consider:

• Consider taking a mental health screener. Online screening is one way to determine if you may be experiencing symptoms of a mental healthcondition.⁹Screeners are anonymous, free and easily accessible online.¹⁰ Mental Health America (MHA), a national mental health advocacy organization, saw an increase in screening between January 2020 and May 2020. This increase represents thousands of people whose lives and health may have been affected by mental health concerns at the onset of the COVID-19 crisis.¹¹ Other organizations offering mental health screeners include MHA, MindWise and PsyCom.

• Access digital educational support resources. An entire community of mental health professionals, advocates and individuals living with mental illness are available to help. Treatment locators, which help people find local treatment programs and facilities, can offer guidance on how to access support in your own community. Educational guides and resources are available online from several organizations, including MHA, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) or the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI).¹²MHA has resources for Mental Health Month 2020 that families and those living with SMI may find useful during this time.

• Consider telehealth services, such as tele-counseling. While many of these services have existed for some time, the COVID-19 pandemic prompted many healthcare providers, including psychiatrists, to transition to using more tele-psychiatry and tele-counseling services and platforms to continue consistent health care delivery for patients while following social distancing and other quarantine guidelines.¹³ There are many telehealth resources available for students and their families that can offer support.¹⁴ A recent study suggests that some patients may be willing to engage with tele-counseling. These results suggest that patients studied reported similar levels of satisfaction for both telemedicine encounters and in-person interactions and that those who engaged in telemedicine interactions appreciated their clinician-patient relationship experiences and overall user experience.¹⁵ The move to more virtual interactions may extend beyond the pandemic. Ask your doctor or school counselors how to best take advantage of these resources now and in the future.

• Together with your HCP, research your treatment options. Online support groups and healthcare providers can help guide decisions on the treatment options that may be the best fit for your health, condition and lifestyle.¹⁶ There are many different types of medications for mental illness, including pills or capsules, taken daily. Some can also be available as liquids, injections, patches or dissolvable tablets.¹⁷Each person and diagnosis is unique and will likely require an individualized care plan. Always speak with your healthcare provider to better understand all available options and work with them to choose the option that is best for your specific needs.¹⁸

• Consider an online group. Online mental health support groups can also help. Others’ perspectives can offer a sense of comfort and self-empowerment as you navigate a diagnosis and the treatment landscape. Groups can encourage empathy, productive discussions, and a sense of community, all within a confidential setting.^19,20 Programs can also direct members to additional tools and resources that may be helpful.

Remember, you are not alone. Don’t be afraid to seek more information or support as you navigate this challenging time. As our entire world adapts to the many changes brought on by the global pandemic, it is important to actively monitor your mental health and wellness. Support is available.

This is intended as informational only and not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical or mental health condition.

References

¹ Anderson, G. (Mar 31, 2020) Coping With a Pandemic. [online] Available at: https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2020/03/31/mental-health-support-systems-coping-pandemic

² Lipson, S. (2020). COVID-19’s mental health effects by age group: Children, college students, working-age adults and older adults. Healio. [online] Available at: https://www.healio.com/psychiatry/practice-management/news/online/%7B250e2c9c-e510-4109-bb84-024660539c08%7D/covid-19s-mental-health-effects-by-age-group-children-college-students-working-age-adults-and-older-adults

³ ActiveMinds.org (2020). The Impact of COVID-19 on Student Mental Health. [online] Available at: https://www.activeminds.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Student-Survey-Infographic.pdf

⁴ Pedrelli P, Nyer M, Yeung A, Zulauf C, Wilens T. College Students: Mental Health Problems and Treatment Considerations. Acad Psychiatry. 2015;39(5):503–511. doi:10.1007/s40596-014-0205-9

⁵ Blanco C, Okuda M, Wright C, Hasin DS, Grant BF, Liu SM, Olfson M. Mental health of college students and their non-college-attending peers: results from the National Epidemiologic Study on Alcohol and Related Conditions. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2008 Dec;65(12):1429-37. doi: 10.1001/archpsyc.65.12.1429.

⁶ Gogtay N, Vyas NS, Testa R, Wood SJ, Pantelis C. Age of onset of schizophrenia: perspectives from structural neuroimaging studies. Schizophr Bull. 2011;37(3):504–513. doi:10.1093/schbul/sbr030

⁷ American College Health Association. American College Health Association-National College Health Assessment II: Reference Group. Executive Summary Spring 2018. Silver Spring, MD: American College. Health Association; 2018.

⁸ Kessler RC, Amminger GP, Aguilar-Gaxiola S, Alonso J, Lee S, Ustün TB. Age of onset of mental disorders: a review of recent literature. Curr Opin Psychiatry. 2007;20(4):359–364. doi:10.1097/YCO.0b013e32816ebc8c

⁹ Mhanational.org (2020). Take A Mental Health Test. [online] Available at: https://screening.mhanational.org/screening-tools

¹⁰ Care for Your Mind (2013). How Can Mental Health Screening Help? [online] Available at: https://careforyourmind.org/how-can-mental-health-screening-help/

¹¹ Mhanational.org (2020).  Mental Health America Releases May 2020 Screening Data; 88,000 Have Anxiety Or Depression, And Results Point To Possible Epidemic Of Suicidal Ideation [online]. Available at: https://www.mhanational.org/mental-health-america-releases-may-2020-screening-data-88000-have-anxiety-or-depression-and-results

¹²  Nami.org. (2020). About Mental Illness. Treatments. [online] Available at: https://www.nami.org/About-Mental-Illness/Treatments

¹³Shore JH, Schneck CD, Mishkind MC. Telepsychiatry and the Coronavirus Disease 2019 Pandemic—Current and Future Outcomes of the Rapid Virtualization of Psychiatric Care. JAMA Psychiatry. Published online May 11, 2020. doi:10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2020.1643

¹⁴ Hilty DM, Sunderji N, Suo S, Chan S, McCarron RM. Telepsychiatry and other technologies for integrated care: evidence base, best practice models and competencies. Int Rev Psychiatry. 2018;30(6):292‐309. doi:10.1080/09540261.2019.1571483

¹⁵Elliot T, Tong I, Sheridan A, Lown B. Beyond Convenience: Patients’ Perceptions of Physician Interactional Skills and Compassion via Telemedicine. Mayo Clin Proc Inn Qual Out. Published online June 2020. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mayocpiqo.2020.04.009

¹⁶ Mhanational.org. (2020). Mental Health Treatments. [online]. Available at: https://www.mhanational.org/mental-health-treatments

¹⁷  Nami.org. (2020) Mental Health Medications. [online] Available at: https://www.nami.org/About-Mental-Illness/Treatments/Mental-Health-Medications

¹⁸ Nami.org. (2020). Mental Health Treatments. [online] Available at: https://www.nami.org/learn-more/treatment

¹⁹ Mhanational.org. (2020). Find Support Groups. [online] Available at: https://www.mhanational.org/find-support-groups

²⁰ Nami.org. (2020). Support & Education: NAMI Connection. [online] Available at: https://www.nami.org/Support-Education/Support-Groups/NAMI-Connection

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