Written by: Senaya Kiruwanagamage

What if your doctor could prescribe you a walking group or a museum visit instead of just medication?

Mental health challenges arising from loneliness, anxiety, burnout, and feeling disconnected on campus are experiences that many students carry through their university years. Academic pressure, financial stress, and social transitions can leave students feeling disconnected from student life, and when these concerns are brought up to healthcare providers, they are not always best addressed through medication alone.

That is where social prescribing can help fill the gaps by recognizing the importance of social connection and linking individuals to communities on campus.

The rise of social prescribing

Recognizing that health is also shaped by our social networks, healthcare systems around the world began implementing new approaches to care (Alliance for Healthier Communities, 2020). The social prescribing movement began in the United Kingdom in 1990, and became a core pillar of the National Health Service (NHS) long term strategy by 2016.

Studies based in the UK have found that patients have an increased sense of confidence, reduced feelings of anxiety, and have improved moods (Carnes et al., 2017, Woodall et al., 2018). Additionally, there has been less strain on the healthcare sectors with a 28% drop in demand of general practitioners after a social prescription, and a 24% drop in emergency admissions (Polley et al., 2017, Alliance for Healthier Communities, 2020).

Social prescribing in Ontario

The social prescribing movement made its way to Ontario from a pilot program called Rx: Community which was spearheaded by the Alliance for Healthier Communities (Alliance for Healthier Communities, 2020). The program was implemented within 11 community health centres (CHCs) which each represent a mix of urban, rural, northern, and francophone communities.

Rather than replicating the UK model, Ontario chose to tailor its model based on the unique needs of the individual communities. This approach places a strong emphasis on upstream care that identifies and addresses the root causes of patient concerns, rather than symptom management. Instead of waiting until patients require emergency medical services, the program aims to address challenges such as lack of support or limited access to activities (Alliance for Healthier Communities, 2020).

What could this look like on campus?

Depending on the needs of the individual, the activities prescribed by healthcare professionals can be personalized such as encouraging a patient to join an art class, take part in a running club, or attend grief support. Within the post-secondary context, this could mean participating in campus activities and communities such as study groups, campus clubs, or events.

As conversations about fostering supportive mental health continue to grow within
post-secondary institutions, social prescribing can offer a framework that fosters holistic approaches to supporting the mental wellbeing of students. By treating social wellbeing as a core part of healthcare, social prescribing can challenge us to ask: “How can post-secondary systems of care better integrate services that support students’ social wellbeing?”