The United States faces an unprecedented mental health crisis, with youth and young adults  at the center (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the U.S. Surgeon  General, 2021; White House, 2022). Even before the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)  pandemic, nearly 50 percent of college students reported at least one mental health concern. 

Without proper support, college students are at risk for a variety of both immediate consequences  (e.g., academic impairment, substance use, suicide) and longer-term ones (e.g., stop-out, dropout, and lower lifetime earning potential). The COVID-19 pandemic notably exacerbated these  issues and underscored the urgency to identify and implement solutions to ameliorate the youth  mental health crisis. In 2021, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine  (NASEM) called on the field of higher education to address growing concerns about student  mental health by identifying and elevating emerging and promising approaches that offer a more  holistic way to support student mental health in higher education (NASEM, 2021). Serving as the  main entry point for more than 40 percent of students seeking a postsecondary education degree,  community colleges represent a tremendous, untapped opportunity to better address mental  health in the United States, particularly for students who have been traditionally underserved  (e.g., students of color, first-generation students, and low-income students). However, there is  limited evidence and guidance that colleges can use to inform the implementation of multilevel,  holistic approaches to support students with varying mental health needs. 

To address this knowledge gap, we examined qualitative data from eight community colleges  at the forefront of implementing multilevel approaches (i.e., a combination of prevention, early  intervention, and/or treatment services) to support student mental health. Specifically, the study  was designed to do the following:  1. describe community college efforts to support mental health on a continuum of care from  prevention to treatment  2. describe how these colleges are addressing student mental health through the broader  college environment  3. identify challenges and facilitators that these community colleges encountered in  addressing student mental health.