Tuesday, January 14, 2025
1/14/2025
Project Overview and Evidence-Based Practices: Zepf Center, in collaboration with partners in Lucas, and Wood counties (Northwest Ohio), proposes REACT: Responsive Education, Awareness and Community Treatment. Zepf will provide multiple training opportunities in the evidence-based practice, Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) for Adults and MHFA for Youth, and will coordinate Crisis Intervention Training (CIT) for first responders and law enforcement. REACT will create a Speakers Bureau of trainers that will be deployed across Northwest Ohio, including the use of Certified Peer Recovery Supporters as part of the training team. Zepf proposes to provide these trainings across Northwest Ohio to maximize the reach of the education offered through REACT. In addition to training, Zepf Center will work to establish referral mechanisms that increase the ability of the individuals trained through REACT to refer and link people in need of mental health services to those resources. Purpose and Objectives: The purpose of this program is to: (1) Train individuals working in schools, emergency response, law enforcement, veterans, armed services personnel and their families, local employers, and students in targeted vocational and post-secondary education settings to recognize the signs and symptoms of mental disorders. (2) Establish linkages with school-based and/or community-based mental health agencies to refer individuals with the signs or symptoms of mental illness to appropriate services; (3) Train emergency services personnel, veterans, law enforcement, fire department personnel, and others to identify persons with a mental disorder and employ crisis de-escalation techniques; and (4) Educate individuals about resources that are available in the community for individuals with a mental disorder. Number of People Served: We anticipate many of the individuals being between 18 to 65 years of age. This population was selected because of their professional reach in the community and their connection to persons who may be experiencing mental illness or a mental health crisis. We anticipate training up to 500 individuals per year or 1,500 over the three years of the grant. The catchment area for this project is Toledo, Ohio (Lucas County) and Bowling Green, Ohio (Wood County). Toledo is the fourth largest city in Ohio with 287, 208 residents; Bowling Green has 31,591 residents. Lucas County’s population is 433,689 and Wood County is 130,492 (US Census Data Quick Facts, 2015). Both cities are home to mid-size universities with student bodies of between 15,000 and 19,000 (Bowling Green State University and The University of Toledo, respectively). Toledo is considered an urban area, while Bowling Green is rural. Lead Organization: The Zepf Center; Project Director: Craig Gebers, cgebers@zepfcenter.org
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).