Monday, November 25, 2024
11/25/2024
Board of Child Care (BCC) will implement the Youth Mental Health First Aid Project, training youth care professionals, educators and school staff, health and human services workers, mental health outreach and crisis personnel, as well as parents, family, and community members, in the evidenced- based Youth Mental Health First Aid (YMHFA) model. Training participants are adults who work with, support, and/or interact with school-age youth and youth that have co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders, serious emotional disorders (SED) and/or significant histories of complex trauma. Throughout the lifetime of the project, 2025 individuals who work with and care for these at risk youth will be trained in YMHFA. The success of this initiative will be delivered through a strong network of community partners committed to supporting the increase of capacity for YMHFA training in the target regions of Baltimore, Anne Arundel, and Mid Shore (Caroline, Talbot & Dorchester) counties of Maryland (MD); Berkeley and surrounding counties in West Virginia (WV); and Cumberland and surrounding counties in Pennsylvania (PA). YMHFA addresses identified service gaps in each region by providing training on universal, early, and secondary levels of awareness and intervention for mental health and substance use disorder needs. YMHFA responders will develop the confidence needed to flexibly respond to youth in need, meet them where they are, and refer them to clinical services and other supports, including self-help resources and resilience-building strategies. Mental Health First Aid is an internationally recognized program that is listed in SAMHSA’s National Registry of Evidence-based Programs and Practices (NREPP). The 8-hour YMHFA course is designed for adults who regularly interact with adolescents. As a public education program, Youth Mental Health First Aid has the potential to reduce stigma, improve mental health literacy, and empower individuals. The course teaches participants the risk factors and warning signs of a variety of mental health challenges common among adolescents, including anxiety, depression, psychosis, eating disorders, and substance use disorder. Participants do not learn to diagnose, nor how to provide any therapy. Rather, participants learn to support youth developing signs and symptoms of a mental illness or in an emotional crisis by applying a core five-step action plan. The YMHFA training also addresses the role of trauma as a risk factor for mental illness, a common issue for the target youth population of this project. BCC’s partners for this project include the Anne Arundel Co. Mental Health Agency, Baltimore Co. Bureau of Behavioral Health, Baltimore Co. CASA, Caroline Human Services Council, Family Resource Network of the Panhandle, Blue Ridge Community & Technical College, Shepherd University, Berkeley County Schools, WV Dept of Health & Human Services, Team Care LLC., United Methodist Association and the Balt – Wash, Pen – Del and Susquehanna Conference of the United Methodist Church.
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).
