Sunday, November 24, 2024
11/24/2024
The Nuestra Emociones II initiative will train 1,377 school personnel, law enforcement/school security, and family/caregivers in Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) within the New Mexico Doña Ana County area. Trainees will be provided additional emphasis on identification and recognition of, as well as de-escalation techniques, for individuals with Serious Emotional Disturbances (SED) and Serious Mental Illness (SMI). Eleven representatives from six partnering organizations covering the County area will become MHFA-certified instructors, with the majority being bilingual. This strategy will increase economies of scale for mental health outreach, awareness, and support to rural and unincorporated areas of the County. Training partners include Gadsden Independent School District; Las Cruces Public School District (LCPS); Doña Ana County Sheriff’s Office (DASO); Doña Ana County Detention Facility; City of Anthony, New Mexico Police Department; and Ben Archer Health Centers. The partnering organizations will coordinate resources and strengthen current referral linkages, building a trauma-informed care (TIC) foundation via two one-day trainings on addressing the principles of safety, trust, and a supportive environment. Trained individuals will be more engaged in the high presence of non-native English speakers; rural communities disconnected to larger networks of mental health support services; mixed-status families who fear the behavioral health system; 10% uninsured population; students, children, and youth with higher-than-national and state averages of suicide and attempted suicide. Goals are focused on building a TIC community within each organization and a larger County-wide initiative to identify, recognize, and address the signs and symptoms of mental illness. Project objectives focus on the volume of individuals trained per year and the type of individual trained, as well as the ability to complete instructor certification successfully. Individuals trained annually are as follows: Year 1 - 208; Year 2 - 335; Year 3 - 264; Year 4 - 335; and Year 5 - 235, for a total of 1,377.
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).
