Mental Health First AID for First Responders, Frontline and Essential Workers in Multnomah County, Oregon - Project Name: Mental Health First AID (MHFA) for First Responders, Frontline and Essential Workers in Multnomah County, Oregon.
Overview: Cascadia will provide MHFA, over five years, for 2,500 first responders, frontline and essential workers in Multnomah County, Oregon who encounter adults who have mental health and substance use challenges, including those with serious and persistent mental illness (SPMI) and serious emotional disturbances (SED).
Population(s) to be served: Cascadia’s Mental Health Awareness Training Project will serve:
• Employees, volunteers, and/or constituents of Cascadia community partners that serve as First Responders, Frontline and Essential Workers.
• Individuals,18 years of age and older, who have mental health and substance use challenges, including those with SPMI and SED who face significant disparities in health, often resulting from poverty, homelessness, trauma, racism, justice system involvement and stigma.
Strategies/interventions: Cascadia will implement MHFA and MHFA “Train the Trainer” instructor courses for employees, volunteers, and constituents of partner agencies engaged in direct community support including: homeless services/affordable housing, public safety and justice, public and secure transportation, culturally specific providers, and the local business community.
Project goals and measurable objectives: Cascadia proposes to conduct MHFA for a minimum of 500 partner constituents per year, totaling 2,500 trained in five years; and 16 MHFA instructors trained each year, totaling 80 instructors trained in five years. Cascadia proposes the following goals for this grant:
• Goal 1. Increase awareness of risk factors and warning signs of mental health and substance use disorders.
o Measurable Objective: 75% of trained partner agency staff will report greater confidence in their ability to recognize the risk factors and signs.
• Goal 2. Increase trainee comfort level in responding to individuals experiencing a crisis, or mental health or substance use challenges.
o Measurable Objective: Attendees report 25% greater confidence in interacting with individuals in crisis or struggling with mental health or addictions, and
o 10% of partner agency staff will apply the strategies over five years.
• Goal 3. Inform trainees about resources available and encourage referrals to services.
o Measurable Objective: 5% of trainees report a referral to professional resources.
• Goal 4. Support partners in implementing a sustainable model for training staff and additional community members and partners.
o Measurable Objective: % Partner agencies train staff within their organizations to become MHFA Instructors, and % Partner agencies provide MHFA internally.
