Hudson County MHAT Project - Partners in Prevention and our collaborative partners are pleased to implement the MHAT grant ($125,000/year) through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, SAMHSA. The purpose of this grant is to 1) train individuals to recognize the signs and symptoms of mental disorders; 2) establish linkages to refer individuals to appropriate services; 3) train emergency services personnel to employ crisis de-escalation techniques; and 4) educate individuals about mental health community resources in Hudson County, New Jersey.
Our strategies/interventions include providing Mental Health First Aid, Crisis Intervention Team training, and a broad awareness campaign to reach a variety of community sectors, including school counselors, parents, public safety/law enforcement personnel, and veterans’ service organizations/military family members. The goals for our project are as follows:
Goal 1: Train individuals who work with/care for our focus populations to recognize the signs and symptoms of mental illnesses, particularly serious mental illness (SMI) and/or serious emotional disturbances (SED).
Goal 2: Establish linkages with school- and/or community-based mental health agencies to refer individuals with the signs or symptoms of mental illness to appropriate services.
Goal 3: Train emergency services personnel, public safety workers/law enforcement officers, veterans, and others to identify persons with a mental disorder and employ crisis de-escalation techniques.
Goal 4: Educate individuals about available community resources for individuals with a mental disorder.
Objective 1A: By September 29, 2026, train 550 individuals who work with youth (ages 12-18) and/or college age students (ages 18-24) to recognize the signs and symptoms of mental disorders, particularly SMI and/or SED.
Objective 1B: By September 29, 2026, provide 150 veterans/military family members to recognize the signs and symptoms of mental disorders, particularly SMI and/or SED.
Objective 2A: By September 29, 2026, train 900 partners/individuals in the usage of NowPow, an app-based mental health referral tool provided by RWJBarnabas Health.
Objective 2B: By September 29, 2026, provide a minimum of 60 schools, colleges, public safety/law enforcement departments, etc. with contact information for licensed mental health treatment/emergency intervention services.
Objective 3A: By September 29, 2026, train 200 public safety/law enforcement personnel in basic mental health awareness (MHFA).
Objective 3B: By September 29, 2026, train 200 public safety/law enforcement personnel in advanced methods (CIT) of how to identify persons with a mental disorder and employ crisis de-escalation techniques.
Objective 4A: By September 29, 2026, conduct a widespread media/social media campaign with information about signs and symptoms, referral information, etc. for individuals with mental illnesses, including SMI and SED.
Objective 4B: By September 29, 2026, conduct targeted media/social media campaigns to reach our focus populations with information about signs and symptoms, referral information, etc.
We are grateful for the opportunity to impact Hudson County – through direct training and awareness campaigns, we will reach 20,000 residents annually, and over 100,000 residents throughout the project.
