Tuesday, January 14, 2025
1/14/2025
The goal of the UPR-RP Mental Health Awareness Training Project is to increase knowledge of Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) among first responders and other individuals who live and/or work in the areas which were hit the hardest by Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico (PR) and facilitate access to mental health services for individuals 16 years and older with serious mental illness, including depression, bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, among others. The populations that the project intends to help include Spanish-speaking minority groups, specifically Puerto Ricans and Dominicans in PR; veterans and armed services members; higher education students; and members of the LGBTT communities. Measurable objectives include: 1) Train first responders and other individuals in MHFA: by the end of the grant, 2,160 individuals will be trained by the project, for an average of 720 individuals per year; 270 firefighters will be trained in MHFA for Fire/EMS, for an average of 90 firefighters trained per year; 210 veterans and family members of veterans and armed services members will be trained in MHFA for Veterans, for an average of 70 per year; at least 200 emergency response personnel from the PR Department of Justice will be trained, for an average of 67 per year; the project will also train members of at least 4 higher education campuses from areas hardest hit by Hurricane María; and other individuals such as security personnel, government personnel who provide direct services to the public, personnel of community organizations, including those serving minority groups (Dominicans and LGBTT), and members of the general community from the hardest hit areas who are not likely to take the course if they had to pay for it; 2) Track referrals that result from the project once a month by employing SurveyMonkey as well as other methods of contact based on the preference of the MHFAiders. At least 2,000 referrals will be reported by the MHFAiders that we train, for approximately 667 per year; 3) Collect and analyze data through pre-tests and post-tests to measure changes in knowledge and intervention skills among MHFAiders. An increase of at least 20% in knowledge and intervention skills will result from the MHFA training as measured by the pre and post-tests; 4) Collect and analyze data related to mental health services provided by the clinics that collaborate with the project. By the end of Year 1 of the project, an average increase of at least 10% in provided mental health services will be reported by the mental health providers and clinics that collaborate with the project; this increase will be sustained until the end of the project when comparing with the baseline. Our MHFAiders may call the Línea PAS Crisis Line for assistance with someone in crisis; may use our PDF list of resources for referral or use the card provided in trainings to call with the person who is developing a serious mental health disorder to make an appointment with one of the clinics; and may contact our project which includes mental health professionals for consultation and assistance with a referral. An awareness campaign and outreach will be conducted by the project and additional collaborations with agencies and community organizations will be established.
HHS’ Tracking Accountability in Government Grants System (TAGGS) website provides access to detailed descriptions of grants, loans, aggregated direct payments and other types of financial assistance awarded by the HHS Operating Divisions (OPDIVs) and the Office of the Secretary Staff Divisions (STAFFDIVs).