Optional Mental Health Disclosure
Dear $SUBSCRIBER.FIRSTNAME,
Illinois state law mandates that college and university students be given the opportunity to designate an emergency contact for a specific purpose: To be notified in the event that the student is at imminent risk of serious harm to self and/or others.
Although SIUE is required to inform newly enrolled students of this option, designating such a contact person is completely up to you.
If you choose to designate an emergency contact for the purposes of this state law, a professional staff counselor, nurse, or physician from Counseling and Health Services will be required to notify your emergency contact within 24 hours of determining that you are at imminent risk of seriously harming yourself or someone else.
You may declare your intent to authorize a designee by submitting the Emergency Contact Form-Optional Authorization for Disclosure of Mental Health Information. You may also manage your authorized designee information through your secure CougarNet account as follows:
- Login to CougarNet
- Select Personal Information
- Select View and Update Emergency Contacts
- Select New Contact
- In the Relationship field, select Private Mental Health Designee
- Enter the contact information and click the Submit Changes button
Note: You may also revoke authorization to release information via CougarNet by selecting the "Remove Contact" box and clicking the "Submit Changes" button.
If you have any questions about this new law, or about designating an emergency contact, feel free to contact Dr. Courtney Boddie in Counseling Services.
Courtney R. Boddie, PhD
Licensed and Board Certified Counselor
Director, SIUE Counseling Services
Campus Box 1154
Edwardsville, IL 62026-1154
618-650-2842 (P)
618-650-5839 (F)
cboddie@siue.edu
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