Depression Grand Challenge

East Los Angeles College was the location of the Depression Grand Challenge’s first implementation of the STAND system of care outside UCLA. This iteration of STAND is referred to as STAND at ELAC and has included both service delivery (via a demonstration project) and research. The service implementation for ELAC students was made possible by funding received in Sept. 2020 from the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health as part of the DMH + UCLA Public Partnership for Wellbeing. The initial scope of work covered a two-year period.

The program enrolled its first participants in Spring 2021 with an upgraded and expanded version of STAND, STAND 2.0. It received a third year of funding in Summer 2022 to explore new features including: a screening and referral service for psychosis symptoms, a screening and referral service for substance use disorder, a new telemental health provider and the option for students to enroll in research studies operated under the UCLA STAND for Community Colleges Innovation Center (funded by the National Institute of Mental Health).

While the funding for the demonstration project ended following Summer 2023, UCLA remains involved with ELAC, offering students the opportunity to enroll in ongoing research projects involving STAND at ELAC and the entire ELAC community to enroll in STAND for All. The experience of running the STAND at ELAC demonstration project potentially provided the DGC a competitive advantage when seeking selection as a NIMH ALACRITY Center, because the DGC had established the operational infrastructure and relationships that would be necessary to conduct research in the same setting.