Athletic department members receiving free access to Apps for wellness as part of mental health initiative
The Big Ten announced a new mental health initiative on Monday with the formation of the conference’s Mental Health and Wellness Cabinet.
The group will include representatives from all 14 Big Ten institutions:
- University of Illinois
- Indiana University
- University of Iowa
- University of Maryland
- University of Michigan
- Michigan State University
- University of Minnesota
- University of Nebraska
- Northwestern University
- Ohio State University
- Penn State University
- Purdue University
- Rutgers University
- University of Wisconsin
Sport affiliate members Johns Hopkins (women’s and men’s lacrosse) and Notre Dame (men’s hockey) will also participate in the initiative.
The conference also announced that its student-athletes, coaches, full-time members of university athletic departments and conference staff members will receive free, unlimited access to Calm, a popular mental fitness app.
“When I was hired as the Commissioner of the Big Ten Conference, a core pillar of my vision was to make sure that we educate, embrace, engage and empower our more than 9,500 student-athletes. This is a complex and stressful time in our society and the mental health and wellness of our Big Ten family is a critical component of our focus,” Big Ten Commissioner Kevin Warren said. “The Cabinet will be instrumental for us both short and long term, as we pursue our goal of creating and maintaining the most comprehensive mental health and wellness platform in college athletics.
“Our hope is that the Calm mental fitness app will provide an immediate resource for all Big Ten student-athletes, coaches, athletic department staff members and conference staff during these unprecedented times and is only the first of many steps that we will take in the area of mental health and wellness. We are fortunate to have so many professionals on our campuses who have dedicated their lives to tackling mental health issues. We were driven to supplement their inspiring work with additional resources, important under normal circumstances, but even more so during the COVID-19 pandemic.”
SOURCE: Sports Illustrated, Newsday
