Citing concerns about mental health, the top health and education officials in Massachusetts are urging the state’s colleges and universities to “accelerate their efforts” to wind down strict COVID-19 safety protocols. “The impact of two years of social isolation, anxiety, stress and depression is profound and one we must confront,” Secretary of Education James Peyser and Secretary of Health and Human Services Marylou Sudders wrote in a letter last week.Peyser and Sudders wrote that the coronavirus and social isolation are “twindemic.” They suggest that institutions should reconsider policies that apply to remote learning, group activities, mask type restrictions and “overly aggressive surveillance testing.”Massachusetts suggests that policies should be refocused on individuals who have symptoms, those who test positive and those who are at-risk of serious illness. “With virtually all students and staff vaccinated, higher education has the opportunity to lead — transitioning back to ‘near normal.'”Last week, Worcester Polytechnic Institute announced the end of many pandemic-related restrictions. That institution has been hard-hit by student deaths during the pandemic and the policy change came just days after another student passed away. A recent survey by TimelyMD found that 88% of students say there’s a mental health crisis at U.S. colleges and universities. Nearly 70% of students said they are experiencing emotional distress or anxiety because of the pandemic. “This COVID experience has affected everyone but particularly students,” said UMass President Marty Meehan during a recent appearance on WCVB’s On The Record. “We have a crisis, in my view, in mental health of our students. We need to provide more services for them. We have to do a better job at it. I’m very concerned about that, as well as losing faculty and staff.”Lasell University officials said their policies are already moving in the direction being urged by the state.”We don’t have a closed environment by any means, but with a high level of vaccination, we have here a healthy, youthful population by and large. The availability of testing to keep a measure of where we are going. With all that in place, we do see our numbers coming down,” said David Hennessey, Associate Vice President of Lasell University. Peyser and Sudders encouraged colleges and universities to increase their investments in mental health services to address “widespread issues of anxiety and depression that have been exacerbated by the challenges of the past two years.”Mental Health and Wellbeing ResourcesIf you or a friend or loved one need help to find resources for mental health care, here are some local and national resources:211: Call 211 in Massachusetts to get connected with resourcesCall2Talk: The nationwide hotline for suicide prevention and mental health can be reached at 800-273-8255. You can also text C2T to 741741 if you are in fear of self-harmMAMH: Massachusetts Association for Mental HealthNAMI: The National Alliance for Mental Illness