Internet entrepreneur Steve Case launched an addition to his Web site this week that aims to help young adults deal with the common hurdles of living away from home. The site, RevolutionHealth.com plans to add a new “College Health Center” which provides students with information on four key areas: mental and sexual health, relationships and healthy living.

“It is easier to get a cup of coffee on the weekend than to find out if your kid has an ear infection. We want to make it easy to learn how to lose a few pounds, eat healthier and prevent chronic disease,” Case said in a conference call interview.

After Case’s brother Dan was diagnosed with a brain tumor in 2001, their family started to search for answers and possible treatments online – all of which were contradictory. It was then that Case realized how crucial information can be to the family members of the terminally ill. But when RevolutionHealth.com was launched in April, their “College Health Center” had not yet been developed.

Case, the co-founder of AOL says he found himself surprised at the lack of resources for students on college campuses, especially those having to do with mental health issues. After the Virginia Tech shooting last April where Seung-Hui Cho shot and killed 33 people, including himself, Case decided to provide a resource for college students in the place most young adults are drawn to for information in the first place: the Internet.

“We developed our College Health Center because we believe that everyone should have a trusted resource they can visit to learn more about their mental health and other college-related challenges, especially at this time of year,” said Case. “College students use the Internet to answer their everyday questions, and now they can turn to one trusted resource that can help answer questions about personal health, mental health and relationships.”

Now that millions of college students are back on campuses across the country, the Web site has launched the first Online College Mental Health Fair, which partners 11 national nonprofit groups. Active Minds, Anxiety Disorders Association of America, Rape Abuse and Incest National Network and Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance who focus on anxiety, sexual assault and mental disorders are some of the featured partners.

All the partners have information cyber-booths that provide confidential and accurate information on a variety of topics. As a motivator, RevolutionHealth.com will make a donation up to a total of $10,000 for every visitor at each booth.

“Many college students, as well as their parents, struggle with the adjustment to college life,” Case wrote on his Web site. “We developed our college health initiatives because we believe that everyone should have a trusted resource to go to learn more about mental health and other college-related challenges, especially at this time of year.”

After the Virginia Tech shootings, both the college campuses and the media wondered if the current intervention and prevention protocol in place was sufficient to forestall such tragedies from happening.

Dr. Edward Hallowell, a Harvard-trained psychiatrist, said in an interview how critical it is to help students navigate through the sudden changes that occur during those first months in college.

“Prevention and early intervention are the critical first steps necessary to keep students healthy, productive and successful in school when they encounter personal problems,” Dr. Hallowell said on the Revolution Health Web site, “College students often experience significant adjustment issues once they are away from home without their normal support structures, and for some students the stress can have a serious impact on their mental health.”

Often it is the most talented and gifted students who wrestle with these issues, but they hold back on getting help because they have no idea of how simple, practical and effective that help can be.”

The Web site also features articles that give advice to college students on how to approach one’s partner about their sexual history and also teaches about the most effective forms of birth control. Another section features an alcohol calculator, which using a person’s height, weight and alcohol consumption, determines a person’s blood alcohol level and whether they would be capable of driving a motor vehicle or not. The content on the Web site comes from MayoClinic.com, Cleveland Clinic and Harvard among others.

While RevolutionHealth.com provides a way for students to research their symptoms and problems, certain issues require immediate care. University Health Services located on the University of Massachusetts campus has a Mental Health hotline 24 hours a day and an emergency nurse on call. For further information visit UHS online.

Michelle Osorio can be reached at [email protected].