Ms. Tramaine Stevenson Director of Program Development and Operations National Council for Behavioral Health Mental Health First Aid USA is coordinated by the National Council for Behavioral Health, the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, and the Missouri Department of Mental Health.
Mental Health First Aid is the help offered to a person developing a mental health problem or experiencing a mental health crisis. The first aid is given until appropriate treatment and support are received or until the crisis resolves. 1
Mental Health First Aid Origins in Australia and currently in 20 countries Adult MHFA course for individuals 18 years of age and older; available in both Spanish and English Youth MHFA is designed to teach caring adults how to help an adolescent (age 12-18) who is experiencing a mental health or addictions challenge or is in crisis Included in SAMHSA s National Registry of Evidence-based Programs and Practices Partnership with Maryland and Missouri State Governments 2
What MHFA Participants Learn Risk factors and warning signs of mental health concerns. Information on depression, anxiety, trauma, psychosis, and substance use. A 5-step action plan to help someone developing a mental health concern or in crisis. Available evidence-based professional, peer, and self-help resources. 3
MHFA Action Plan Assess for risk of suicide or harm Listen nonjudgmentally Give reassurance and information Encourage appropriate professional help Encourage self-help and other support strategies 4
Where Mental Health First Aid Can Help Prevention Early Intervention Treatment Well Becoming Unwell Unwell Recovering Where Mental Health First Aid can help on the spectrum of mental health interventions 5
Why Mental Health First Aid? Mental health problems are common Stigma is associated with mental health problems Professional help is not always on hand Individuals with mental health problems often do not seek help Many people > are not well informed about mental health problems > do not know how to respond 6
# FIRST AIDERS 4,854 16,531 20,307 40,700 66,481 156,203 14,213 First Aider Growth By the Numbers 306,381 150,178 83,697 2015 GOAL: 6,159 22,690 42,997 MENTAL HEALTH FIRST AIDERS TRAINED 1,305 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 7
Instructor Growth by the Numbers MORE THAN 6,500 CERTIFIED INSTRUCTORS 3,000+ YOUTH INSTRUCTORS In 2013, nearly 2,500 unduplicated instructors were certified in Mental Health First Aid In 2014, we trained more than 3,000 additional instructors 8
ALGEE-OMETER More than 310,000 First Aiders in the US Trained by more than 6,300 Instructors AK 2,217 (41) WA 6,485 (130) PERCENTAGE OF POPULATION TRAINED 0.15% or more 0.075%-0.149% 0.04%-0.074% 0.025%-0.039% Less than 0.025% OR 4,945 (110) NV 1,107 (62) CA 34,378 (664) GUAM 37 (1) ID 898 (18) UT 1,554 (37) AZ 8,870 (149) MT 1,215 (26) WY 470 (43) CO 14,467 (248) NM 5,312 (94) ND 711 (17) MN 3,897 SD 1,636 (17) NE 1,120 (53) KS 8,866 (106) OK 2,385 (61) TX 18,281 (555) (45) IA 9,594 (103) MO 18,913 (237) AR 1,656 (15) LA 404 (10) WI 1,205 (45) IL 13,175 (227) MS 3,084 (70) IN 2,671 (91) TN MI 17,082 (237) AL 1,683 (53) OH 4,943 (170) KY 1,224 (48) 1,909 (39) GA 4,827 (107) SC 487 (13) FL 6,162 (187) VT 948 (46) NY 6,949 (266) PA 27,188 (509) WV 164 VA (11) 8,129 (268) NC 8,199 (213) ME 1,190 (15) NH 368 (39) RI 631 (11) NJ 4,361 (147) MD 11,639 (491) DC 2,628 (75) MA 2,183 (79) CT 5,544 (109) DE 260 (18) Reported through December 2014 HI 107 (6) PR 326 (2)
Audiences (through April 2014) 31.4% General Community/Not Specified 24.7% Behavioral Health 15.9% Higher Education 7.0% Social Services 6.9% Primary Care 6.7% Law Enforcement/Public Safety 5.6% Faith Communities 4.5% Youth-focused entities 0.6% Business/Corporations 2.2% Other 10
Legislative Developments Mental Health First Aid Act (S. 153/H.R. 274) > Introduced in the House by Congressman Ron Barber (D-AZ) and in the Senate by Senators Mark Begich (D-AK) and Kelly Ayotte (R-NH) with nine bipartisan cosponsors. $15 million in SAMHSA Funding for MHFA 30 bills introduced in 21 states 15 States with Legislative Action or Appropriations Arizona Colorado Connecticut Illinois Indiana Maryland Michigan Minnesota Nebraska New York Oklahoma Texas Virginia Washington California 11
State Policy Toolkit The National Council published a state legislative toolkit in 2013 to help mental health advocates, state policymakers, and stakeholder organizations develop and advance Mental Health First Aid policy initiatives. The 2014 toolkit updates stakeholders on state legislative proposals and enactments, provides enhanced policy materials and strategies, and reviews organizational experience to guide future Mental Health First Aid advocacy efforts. Available at www.mentalhealthfirstaid.org/cs/about/legi slation-policy 12
State Policy Toolkit Table of Contents Executive Summary Introduction Overview of 2013-2014 Policy Activity Key Policy Elements and Model Legislation Strategies for Success Future Steps Appendices: Resources and Tools Mental Health First Aid Legislative Tracking Chart Assessment Questions Sample Mental Health First Aid Talking Points Sample Op-ed Sample Testimony Sample Agency Fact Sheet & Slide Sample Communication to Hospitals Media Organizational Links and Resources Program Descriptions 13
Mental Health First Aid: Adult Curriculum Supplements 14
Exercise. Disability Weights 15
SAMHSA Now is the Time Project Aware Advancing Wellness and Resilience in Education State and Local Educational Agency Grants Mental Health First Aid USA is coordinated by the National Council for Behavioral Health, the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, and the Missouri Department of Mental Health.
Rationale Half of all lifetime cases of mental illness begin by age 14. Treatment works, but there are long delays between onset and treatment. Untreated mental disorder can lead to a more severe, more difficult to treat illness and additional co-occurring mental disorders. 75% of mental illnesses appear by the age of 24, yet less than half of children with diagnosable mental illness receive treatment. 17
Project Purpose and Expectations-SEA Build SEA capacity to increase awareness of mental health issues among school-aged youth Provide training for school personnel and other adults Develop a comprehensive, coordinated, and integrated program for advancing wellness and resilience in educational settings for school-aged youth. Build statewide systems of support and provide TA to LEAs and schools Build cross system capacity to effectively utilize the growing body of knowledge learned from prevention and implementation science for the purpose of supporting expanded adoption of similar approaches in states. 18
SEA Program: Two Categories Component 1: Address the Mental Health Needs of Children, Youth, Families/Caregivers and Communities > provide local communities with increased access to school and community based mental health services through improved coordination of state and local policies and resources > up to $1.7 million per year (87 percent of the total grant award) for Component 1. > not less than 75 percent of Component 1 funding must be used to support LEA activities, not less than 15 percent of funding must be used to support SEA activities, and not more than 10 percent of funding can be used for evaluation activities Component 2: Implement Mental Health First Aid/Youth Mental Health First Aid: State and Local Training Programs: > widespread dissemination of Mental Health First Aid (MHFA)/Youth Mental Health First Aid (YMHFA) > Grantees will receive up to $236,000 per year (13 percent of the grant award) for Component 2) > The SEA may retain up to 100 percent of Component 2 funding for implementing the MHFA/YMHFA training activities 19
Project Purpose and Expectations-LEA Increase awareness of mental health issues among school-aged youth Conduct outreach and engagement strategies with school-aged youth and their families to increase awareness of and promote positive mental health Increase the mental health literacy of school personnel and other adults who interact with schoolaged youth via MHFA or YMHFA training, and Increase the capacity of communities to respond to the behavioral health issues of school-aged youth 20
Grant Highlights State Educational Agencies Grant (SEA) > $34.1 Million for Project Aware > $4.7 Million for Mental Health First Aid > Up to 20 awards of $1.9 million (up to $236,000 per year for MHFA Component 2) > Up to 5 years Local Educational Agencies Grant (LEA) > $9.4 million for Mental Health First Aid > Up to 100 awards (up to $50,000 per year for MHFA) > Up to 2 years 21
Role of School Districts and Youth- Serving Organizations Partner with community mental health organizations Gain an understanding of the scope and function of Mental Health Fist Aid Create a strategy for application and implementation (in tandem with LEA applicant) 22
Opportunities for Involvement of MHFA Instructors and CBHC s Leverage existing relationships > Coalitions of community behavioral health organizations Outreach to school districts > Marketing presentation providing overview of MHFA to appropriate audiences Assess resources and identify concrete roles for all organizations and individuals involved Convene coalition of key youth-serving stakeholders Meet with local school board members and other elected officers as needed Generate media interest in MHFA Collect relevant data to support need 23
Staffing Requirements Program Coordinator > Required to lead, manage, and oversee all aspects of program > Should be trained as a MHFA/YMHFA Instructor within 60 days after award > Must be full-time for SEA, can be part-time for LEA applicants MHFA Instructors > 6 minimum for LEA program > 6 minimum at the State level, PLUS 3 minimum per targeted LEA for the SEA program > Expected to be trained within 4 months for LEA program > Expected to be trained within 6 months for SEA program 24
Training Numbers Training expectations > Minimum of 250 MHFA/YMHFA first aiders required to be trained within each LEA for LEA program > Minimum of 125 MHFA/YMHFA first aiders required to be trained for LEAs targeted in the SEA program > Additional youth-serving adults to ensure that a sufficient number of adults trained in MHFA/YMHFA will effectively saturate the community. 25
Data Collection and Performance Measures Each project will track the following data: > Number of individuals who have received training in prevention or mental health promotion (i.e., MHFA /YMHFA) > Number of people credentialed and/or certified to provide mental health related practices (i.e., MHFA /YMHFA) > Numbers referred to mental health or related services > Number of youth that interface with adults trained in MHFA or YMHFA in schools and in the community Performance measures include: > Progress reporting related to implementation > Training Plan effectiveness > Training details and cost per participant > Partnership factors effecting success 26
MHFA USA Resources Application Toolkit Resources including national prevalence of youth mental illness and emotional disturbance and links between undiagnosed mental health conditions risks for long term SMI and related co-occurring conditions > A list of data sources where applicants can look to find local data related to mental health > Description with citations that describe access barriers that support the need for the program > A chart template to highlight needed partnerships for training > Guidance related to how to obtain local data that can highlight relative need within the target population > Sample Instructor job description > Sample Program Coordinator job description > Sample Letter of Commitment > MHFA/YMHFA selection considerations > Standard budget costs for training, materials, etc. 27
MHFA USA Resources Marketing Materials > One Page Descriptions (MHFA/YMHFA) > MHFA Marketing PowerPoint* > Project AWARE One Page Overview State and Local Data Requests* (filled within 7-10 days) > National Statistics Instructors (Youth/Adult) First Aiders > Organizations with MHFA Instructors > Schools with Instructors For information on any of the starred resources above, please email tramaines@thenationalcouncil.org 28
Slide to include updates on Project Aware # Trained # Trainings Hosted California Orgs Involved Impact 29
On the Horizon Updated Application Technology Enhancement Quality Evaluation Webinars Additional Curriculum Supplements > Faith Based (2015) > Older Adults (2015) 30
@NationalCouncil @MHFirstAidUSA /TheNationalCouncil /Mental-Health-First-Aid-USA info@mentalhealthfirstaid.org 202. 684.7457 Tramaine Stevenson Director of Program Development and Operations TramaineS@thenationalcouncil.org