Friday, November 22, 2024
11/22/2024
The proposed University of Missouri System Mental Health Awareness Training (MHAT) project will train 1,600 pre-service school teachers, social workers, nurses and related personnel as gatekeepers to recognize the early signs and symptoms of mental health conditions, including serious mental illness (SMI) and serious emotional disturbances (SED), to de-escalate crisis situations, and refer Missouri youth to critical mental health treatment and resources. The project will leverage cross-campus expertise in implementing statewide mental health awareness training, providing mental health treatment, and training pre-service school staff to provide two evidence-based, gatekeeper trainings- Youth Mental Health First Aid (YMHFA), and Question, Persuade, Refer (QPR). Seventy-five percent of training participants will report an increase in mental health knowledge, as measured by pre- vs. post-training scores. The project will also build capacity to provide gatekeeper trainings by certifying two new YMHFA instructors, and four new QPR instructors. Fifty percent of gatekeepers will report an increase in their own sense of mental wellbeing as a result of completing training. Finally, the project will equip gatekeepers to link and refer youth to mental health services, by increasing the self-efficacy of gatekeepers and increasing awareness of available school and community behavioral health resources. Based on previous studies conducted by this evaluation team, at least 75% of training participants will show an increase from pre- to post-evaluation in self-efficacy and ability to connect someone to appropriate behavioral healthcare. The project will provide and regularly update a comprehensive list of appropriate referrals. The Missouri Institute of Mental Health (MIMH) at the University of Missouri-St. Louis (UMSL) will lead the project in collaboration with a cross-system team. MIMH has been implementing MHFA since its inception in the United States in 2008.
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).
