MENTAL HEALTH FIRST AID

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation recently released the good news that Lake County is the 14th healthiest county in Florida out of 67 counties! While celebrating good strides in improving our physical health, it’s important to keep in mind the importance of our mental health, too!

Be Free Lake was awarded the “Now is the Time—Project Aware” Grant in October 2015. The purpose of this award is to increase mental health literacy of adults in Lake and Sumter Counties. To accomplish this goal, we trained 28 Mental Health First-Aid instructors from key stakeholders within Lake and Sumter Counties and the 5th Judicial Circuit including Department of Juvenile Justice, Department of Children and Families, Kids Central, Inc., Boys and Girls Club of Lake and Sumter Counties, and LifeStream Behavioral Center. Through these partnerships, we plan to address mental health issues in our community.

“You’re not Alone” is the media campaign. The words, “mental health” are not bad words. We need to take care of our minds as well as our bodies. Part of that is finding the courage to talk to someone if you have feelings of sadness or feel stressed. Having a mental health issues is so common that even some historical figures experienced mental health issues throughout their lives. For example, Abraham Lincoln suffered suicidal thoughts and was the 16th President of the United States. Isaac Newton suffered from manic depression and discovered gravity!

Mental Health First Aid is an eight-hour certified training course that teaches participants a five-step plan to assess a situation, select and implement interventions, and secure appropriate care for the individual. The course introduces participants to risk factors and warning signs of mental health problems, builds understanding of their impact, and overviews common treatments. This CPR-like program will increase your knowledge of mental disorders while reducing stigmas and increasing the amount of help provided to others.

As community members, we each play a role in becoming a preventionfocused community. As family members, service providers and key stakeholders, we are the heart of our community.

Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) is a free public education training that teaches recovery and resiliency—the belief that individuals can and do get better and use their strength to stay well. Just as CPR helps an individual having a heart attack—even if you have no clinical training— MHFA helps an individual in a crisis situation.

Being armed with a basic understanding of what different mental illnesses and addictions are, how they can affect a person’s daily life, and what helps individuals experiencing these challenges get well, can allow us to move forward in becoming a strong and healthy community.

FIVE

Steps In Mental Health

First Aid

1. Assess risk of self harm or suicide

2. Listen without judgment

3. Reassure and provide helpful information

4. Encourage professional support

5.Suggest self-care techniques

For more information about receiving this free training and certification, contact Dr. Jenenne Valentino-Bottaro at Jenenne@befreelake. MHFA classes are offered on an ongoing basis. MHFA will also provide speakers for your community group or organization. Contact:

Be Free Lake, Executive Director 352.408.2009 or Debi@ befreelake.org