Wednesday, February 5, 2025
2/5/2025
Aspire’s project “Enhancing Central Indiana's Response to Mental Health with Training and Resources” will expand access to trainings in Mental Health First Aid (MHFA), Youth Mental Health First Aid (YMHFA), teen Mental Health First Aid (tMHFA), Psychological First Aid (PFA), Crisis Intervention Training (CIT), the Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS), and Question, Persuade, and Refer (QPR). Population to be served consists of the communities in our area of service in central Indiana-- Boone, Madison, Hamilton, and Marion counties, focusing mental health professionals and members of the public. Strategies/Interventions: Aspire sees two significant mental health related crises in central Indiana: teenage suicidal ideation and significant co-occurring disorders as the opioid crisis continues to rage across our state. Indiana is not equipped with enough mental health professionals to both treat and be engaged in preventative work in a comprehensive manner. Aspire sees the need for increased training, education, and resource networking for the collective community to take shared ownership of the response to individuals with serious mental illness and those experiencing mental health crises. We plan to use Aspire Indiana staff trained in seven mental health awareness programs that have an emphasis on safely de-escalating situations of crisis. While we plan to conduct trainings in-person, we are certified to offer them online in case of COVID-19 restrictions. All trainings can be offered online except for tMHFA and CIT, which are required to be in-person. The proposed strategies have been informed by Aspire’s work since 2018 as an MHAT grantee. The infrastructure, experience, and community partnerships already developed will enable Aspire to focus on building awareness and interest in mental health within teens, addressing Indiana’s vulnerable youth and expanding the pipeline of mental health professionals. Goals and Objectives: Goal 1: Improve the level of training in the community related to mental health disorders/mental health crises. Objective 1.1: Each year provide 49 group trainings in Mental Health First Aid (MHFA), Psychological First Aid (PFA), and Question, Persuade, and Refer (QPR) to teachers/education staff, church staff, veterans and their families, social service providers, and the general public, resulting in over 739 trained individuals. Objective 1.2: Each year provide 30 trainings in teen Mental Health First Aid (tMHFA) to teens and Youth Mental Health First Aid (YMHFA) for teachers, school staff, and others that work with youth, resulting in 366 individuals trained in crisis intervention and referrals in a school-based and youth service organization setting. Objective 1.3: Provide 28 group training sessions in Crisis Intervention Training (CIT) and the Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS) to law enforcement, first responders, and healthcare providers, resulting in 464 trained individuals. Goal 2: Improve the ability of the general public to assist individuals in need of mental health services in accessing care. Objective 2.1: During trainings, link participants to available local mental health resources and other mental health tools, such as MyStrength. Objective 2.2: Demonstrate utilization of training through survey responses. Average 0.5 referrals per individual trained each calendar year, based on responses received from quarterly surveys, for a total of 785 annual referrals. Objective 2.3: Increase quarterly participant survey response rate to 20% of those trained in a quarter by offering random gift card drawings as incentives for participation. Objective 2.4: Implement a pre and post test confidence assessment in their ability to assist individuals in connecting with local mental health services in order to quantify the impact of training. Number to be trained by year: Year 1-- 1,569, Year 2 -- 1,569, Year 3 -- 1,569, Year 4 -- 1,569, Year 5 -- 1,569. Total: 7,845.
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).