The UVA Health Resource Database was created to address the lack of clarity surrounding support for students. The help is there, certainly, but students simply do not know where to go. In fact, one in every three people with anxiety or depression end up not receiving assistance because of barriers, whether it be physical or digital.
Additionally, only 14% of students nationwide use campus health services. At UVA in particular, that translates to roughly 2,400 out of a student body of over 17,000. What's worse, over 60% of UVA students reported having felt anxious or depressed for periods of greater than one month in a study conducted by me. Not to spew out more statistics, but that means that there are nearly 8,000 students on Grounds who could have received help or resources, but did not. I see this not as a reflection of the lack of available assistance for numerous physical or mental issues, but rather a lack of consolidation. In my database, there are 24 different websites, all with different links and confusing UIs, that could be used by students. How could anybody know what to look up if they don't know the names, locations, or URLS of these sites?
I truly hope that creating and publishing this website will benefit hundreds of students. Even if it doesn’t I just hope I can help at least one person not feel alone in their battle. Having battled depression and anxiety for nearly my entire life, I know just how important it is to have access to tools and people that could make the fight that much easier.