Friday, April 26, 2024
4/26/2024
Meridian Behavioral Healthcare’s Mental Health Awareness Training (MHAT) Program aims to decrease area service gaps in mental health awareness training by expanding our current evidence-based Mental Health First Aid training program to address unmet training needs and focus populations within North Central/Northeast Florida. The project will prioritize training affecting military service members, particularly citizen service members (i.e., those in part-time service); veterans with barriers to treatment; and military connected families who are unserved and/or at increased risk (e.g., experiencing the loss of a service member). Based on strong community interest, the program will also extend Mental Health First Aid’s reach to unserved and/or health disparate populations through expanded training at local faith-based organizations/community centers. The American Psychiatric Association (APA) notes that from a public health perspective, leaders of the faith community are often the “first responders” when community members face behavioral health issues (APA Foundation, 2016). For people with Serious Mental Illness (SMI) and their families and caregivers, faith-based organizations can also serve a key role in supporting community integration and social inclusion (SAMHSA, 2018). Meridian will provide Mental Health First Aid training in Alachua, Baker, Bradford, Clay, Columbia, Dixie, Gilchrist, Hamilton, Lafayette, Levy, Suwannee, and Union counties in Florida (combined population 732,311). The purpose of Mental Health First Aid training is to (1) train selected individuals to recognize the signs and symptoms of mental disorders; (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 those with a mental disorder. A strong network of partners representing military, veterans, and faith-based organizations/communities will play a major role in facilitating this training. A program objective is to increase these partnerships by 35% over the course of the project period. To meet the program’s primary goals of decreasing area service gaps in mental health awareness and reducing behavioral health disparities, certified Mental Health First Aid trainers will train 700 new individuals by the end of year 1, increasing to 900 by the end of year 2; 1,000 by the end of year 3; 1,150 by the end of year 4; and 1,250 by the end of year 5, for a total of 5,000 individuals trained over the 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).
