MARYSVILLE – Community Memorial Healthcare (CMH) and Pawnee Mental Health Services are collaborating to provide “Mental Health First Aid” classes free to the public. The class will be on Friday, Feb. 23, 2024, from 8:30 am – 5 pm at the CMH South Plaza Conference Room. Lunch will be provided.
Mental Health First Aid is a public education program from the National Council for Mental Wellbeing. The eight-hour, one-day training teaches participants how to identify, understand, and respond to signs of mental illnesses and substance use disorders. This class provides the skills needed to reach out and provide initial support to someone who may be experiencing a mental health or substance use problem, and help connect them to the appropriate care. Learners will receive their training in an instructor-led, in-person class, and will also have access to an online participant training portal.
Pawnee Mental Health will be providing the training free of charge through the SAMHSA Mental Health Awareness grant they received Oct. 1. “We want to make Mental Health First Aid as common as CPR class,” said Michelle Naillieux, Learning & Development Coordinator, Pawnee Mental Health Services. “Anyone in the community can take these classes, and we hope to have representation among a variety of business industries and community populations so that people from all walks of life are trained on how to respond in a mental health crisis, and/or intervene early before a situation escalates to that point.”
Additional classes are being planned throughout the winter. CMH and PMHS hope to offer the training once a month for the next several months, depending on community interest. Each class can have anywhere from five to thirty participants per session.
To attend the class, interested persons need to register in advance. To register, or for more information, call Ashley Kracht, CMH public relations director, at 785-562-4379, or email ackracht@cmhcare.org. Participants must submit their name and email address, and will receive registration details via email following enrollment. Deadline for participation in the Feb. 23 class will be Monday, Feb. 19, 2024, or when the class is full.
The SAMHSA grant is a three year grant, that will allow for mental health education and awareness throughout Pawnee’s ten-county coverage area, including Riley, Pottawatomie, Marshall, Clay, Cloud, Geary, Jewell, Mitchell, Republic, and Washington counties. Since Oct. 1, they have already led five Suicide Prevention (QPR) courses, and two Mental Health First Aid courses, with more planned.
For more information about Pawnee Mental Health Services educational opportunities, contact 785-587-8806 or email training@pawnee.org.
