Saturday, December 21, 2024
12/21/2024
Meridian Behavioral Healthcare, Inc. aims to decrease area service gaps in mental health awareness training by expanding the organization’s current evidence-based Mental Health First Aid training program to target high risk and priority need populations and locations. The purpose of Mental Health First Aid training is to (1) train selected individuals to recognize the signs and symptoms of mental disorders, particularly serious mental illness (SMI) and/or serious emotional disturbance(SED; (2)establish linkages with mental health agencies to refer individuals with the signs or symptoms of mental illness to appropriate services; (3)train individuals 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. Meridian will provide training in Alachua, Baker, Bradford, Columbia, Hamilton, Marion, Suwannee, and Union counties in North Central Florida (combined population 792,525). Five of the counties are designated by the state as 100% rural, and the remaining three (Alachua, Columbia, Marion) have a combination of urban and rural communities. Meridian has worked in collaboration with a network of partners in this catchment area to identify 1) remaining service gaps in training (i.e., who still needs to be trained) and 2) the area’s priority, or focus, populations (i.e., who is the training intended to help). Meridian has defined priority populations as those who are at high risk of developing a mental health problem or crisis and/or those who face disparities in access to mental health resources. Based on this assessment, the proposed program will focus on the following: rural locations/populations, veterans, individuals with SMI/SED, high risk youth and young adults, and older adults. A strong network of partners across multiple service systems will play a major role in facilitating this expansion. To meet the program’s primary goal of decreasing area service gaps and reducing disparities, Meridian will train 750 individuals in year 1; 1,000 in year 2; and 1,250 in year 3 for a total of 3,000 individuals over the three-year project period.
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).