CASES' Mental Health Awareness Training (MHAT) program--"Promoting Mental Health Awareness and Non-Violent Crisis De-escalation among Government and Nonprofit Agency Staff Serving Individuals Involved in the Criminal Legal System in New York City"--focuses on promoting mental health awareness among citywide criminal legal system (CLS) provider staff and the individuals they monitor and/or serve, including with a focus on Harlem-focused providers and residents. The program responds to the over-reliance on law enforcement and inpatient hospitalization as responses to mental illness in New York City as evidenced by disparities in the incarceration of individuals with mental health need and specifically in Harlem, a community with high rates of resident incarceration and psychiatric and substance use-related hospitalization. The latter, similar to many New York City communities of color with high rates of resident CLS-involvement, indicates a lack of access to and/or utilization of outpatient and other early intervention treatment services for individuals with mental illness. CASES seeks to promote improved awareness and capacity to support CLS-involved New Yorkers with mental illness through delivery of the evidence-based Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) and Non-Violent Crisis Intervention Training (CIT) curricula. CASES will leverage its program offices in Central Harlem, home to the organization's State-licensed Nathaniel Clinic, a Certified Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHC) that will serve as a primary treatment referral destination for individuals identified as in need in the MHAT program. The CASES MHAT will train 3,520 individuals in MHFA over the grant term: 570 in Year 1, 700 in Year 2, 725 in Year 3, 750 in Year 4, and 775 in Year 5. The MHAT will a) increase the capacity of New York City CLS government and nonprofit staff, including with an emphasis on Harlem-based/serving staff, and CLS-involved youth and adults across New York City in understanding mental illness and how to help someone with signs/symptoms of a mental health issue including in the de-escalation of acute crises; b) activate MHAT trainees to refer their clients with mental health need to appropriate treatment and support services; and c) create a CLS-competent mental health treatment and services resource guide to support MHAT trainees in making referrals and their clients in accessing treatment.
