Saturday, May 10, 2025
5/10/2025
SHWC Mental Health Aid Training - Project Abstract Summary: To increase the recognition of and response to mental crises, Stigler Health and Wellness Center, Inc. (SHWC) plans to use MHAT funds to provide Mental Health First Aid training for local school staff, law enforcement personnel, emergency response teams and other interested parties living and working in Haskell, Latimer, Leflore, Pittsburg, Sequoyah, Muskogee, and McIntosh Counties in eastern Oklahoma. Applicant Information: Stigler Health and Wellness Center 1505 E. Main St Stigler, OK 74462-2913 Phone: 918-967-3368 Contact Email: thuggins@thwcinc.com Project Name: Mental Health Aid Training (MHAT) SHWC plans to implement an ambitious program that will provide mental health first aid training for local school staff, law enforcement officers, emergency responders, social service agencies, and possibly Head Start facility staff in a 7-county area in rural Oklahoma. By focusing on the preceding groups, SHWC will provide monthly mental health first aid training sessions to people who will be interacting with the population of focus – children with unrecognized or undiagnosed mental health issues, adults with any mental illness, especially those not currently receiving treatment, and individuals with co-occurring mental health/substance abuse issues – and who might be the link to guiding individuals in crisis into appropriate care settings. While demographic data and clinical characteristics of the population with mental health issues is difficult to come by for rural Oklahoma communities, data from the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (ODMHSAS) shows in the 7-county service area, 17,073 people of all ages (7,388 children aged 0-17 years, and 9,653 adults aged 18+ years) received ODMHSAS-funded services in FY2020. Of greater concern, data from the SAMHSA Behavioral Health Barometer: Oklahoma, Volume 6 report suggests the number of people in need of services is much higher; among youth aged 12–17 during 2016–2019 with a Major Depressive Episode (MDE) in the past year, just 40.0% received depression care in the past year, and among adults 18+, the average annual percentage with any mental illness who received mental health services in the past year was 42.7% (2017-2019). Project goals include providing 500 community members with MHFA training each year of the project, with the total number of people trained projected to be 2,500 over the life of the project.
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).