Mental Health First Aid

Veridian Behavioral Health/Salina Regional Health Center Introduces Mental Health First Aid to North Central Kansas

North Central Kansas Joins National Initiative to Increase Mental Health Literacy

Veridian Behavioral Health has piloted the first Mental Health First Aid program in Salina, KS. Veridian  will train soon begin training groups from various professions and other interested members of the public to improve mental health literacy – helping them identify, understand and respond to signs of mental illness. 

“We are thrilled to bring Mental Health First Aid to our community,” said David Morris, Veridian's Clinic Manager. “This important educational effort goes a lot further than emergency intervention; it really helps people understand the shroud of fear and misjudgment facing individuals and families who experience mental illnesses and addiction.  It will help rid this community of the associated stigma and move more and more people toward recovery.”

Mental Health First Aid is a 12-hour training certification course which teaches participants a five-step action plan to assess a situation, select and implement interventions and secure appropriate care for the individual, the certification program introduces participants to risk factors and warning signs of mental health problems, builds understanding of their impact and overviews common treatments.  Thorough evaluations in randomized controlled trials and a quantitative study have proved the CPR-like program effective in improving trainees’ knowledge of mental disorders, reducing stigma and increasing the amount of help provided to others.   

“We welcome Veridian’s involvement and enthusiasm in the Mental Health First Aid community,”  says Linda Rosenberg, MSW, president and CEO of the National Council for Community Behavioral Healthcare, the organization who brought Mental Health First Aid to the United States in 2008.  “We know they will have a great impact on the mental health communities throughout north central Kansas, and will be key players in improving mental health literacy nationwide.”

In its pilot year, the program was introduced in nearly twenty states and more than 40 communities nationwide.  The National Council certified Veridian to provide the Mental Health First Aid program in through an instructor certification course in Chicago, Illinois this fall. Veridian and all the sites across the nation that replicate this program maintain strict fidelity to the original, proven program. 

Mental Health First Aid is auspiced at the ORYGEN Research Centre at the University of Melbourne in Australia under the direction of MHFA founders Betty Kitchener and Tony Jorm. To date, it has been replicated in six other countries worldwide, including Hong Kong, Scotland, England, Canada, Finland, and Singapore.

For more information or to participate in a Mental Health First Aid training in Salina or surrounding communities, visit www.veridianbh.com or Veridian at 785-452-4930

The National Council for Community Behavioral Healthcare is a not-for-profit, 501(c)(3) association of 1,400 behavioral healthcare organizations that provide treatment and rehabilitation for mental illnesses and addictions disorders to nearly six million adults, children and families in communities across the country. The National Council and its members bear testimony to the fact that medical, social, psychological and rehabilitation services offered in community settings help people with mental illnesses and addiction disorders recover and lead productive lives. 

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