ST. GEORGE — Dixie State University has moved the Health and Counseling Center to a larger facility closer to campus and has hired a new director to oversee the facility.
The center, now located in the old Dixie State Store, 1037 E. 100 South, provides medical, behavioral and mental health services to the Dixie State community.
Dylan Matsumori, who holds a doctorate in counseling psychology and has been a professor, adviser, mentor, counselor and psychologist at five universities across the United States, will lead the facility.
The newly renovated facility includes three therapy rooms, three medical exam rooms, an office for medical providers, a conference room and a large waiting room. It is staffed by nurse practitioners, a registered nurse, a substance abuse counselor and a licensed social worker.
The center features services to combat mental health issues and suicide. These efforts complement the recent addition of the nation’s first collegiate HOPE Squad to the campus, a development that was spearheaded by Sarah Ramaker, student body president.
HOPE Squads, typically present on middle and high school campuses, are peer-to-peer programs that partner with local mental health and community agencies. Members of HOPE Squads are trained to know how to actively listen and help peers who suffer from depression or thoughts of suicide.