Upstate Medical receives $375K grant for mental-health training program

SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Upstate Medical University and the R.H. Hutchings Psychiatric Center will use a three-year federal grant of $375,000 for training in the Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) program.

MHFA is an “internationally-recognized,” public-education program that introduces adults to the risk factors and warning signs of mental-health problems in young people and “builds an understanding of the importance of early intervention.”

Mental Health First Aid is an eight-hour, training-certification course that teaches participants a five-step action plan to assess a situation, select and implement interventions, and secure appropriate care for the individual.

That’s according to the New York State Office of Mental Health, which issued a news release about the grant funding.

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) awarded the funding as part of its Project AWARE program. Project AWARE grants “improve” behavioral-health awareness among school-age youth and their communities, according to the SAMHSA website. SAMHSA is an agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Upstate Medical will use the funding to train adults in detecting mental illness in Onondaga County young people and connect them with needed services, the state Mental Health Office said.

The state Mental Health Office operates the Hutchings Psychiatric Center, which Upstate Medical lists among its facilities on its website.

MHFA introduces participants to local mental-health resources, national organizations, support groups, and online tools for mental health and addictions treatment and support, according to the release.

By implementing MHFA, Hutchings Psychiatric Center and Upstate Medical University expect to see “increased” mental-health awareness and literacy among adults and community organizations, which the office contends will lead to “earlier interventions and better access” to care for young people.

Officials estimate that by the end of the three year grant period, Project AWARE will conduct 70 MHFA workshops, train between 1,500 and 1,750 people in MHFA, and reach between 20,000 and 25,000 youth in Onondaga County.

The workshops will be offered for no charge to youth-serving agencies and organizations, according to the release.

Officials will identify program participants through outreach to various academic, faith-based, and community organizations, along with first responders and youth centers. The organizations have already established “collaborative” partnerships for this program with Onondaga Community College, Le Moyne College, OCM BOCES, Teen Challenge, Southwest Community Center, Onondaga County, and Upstate Emergency Medicine, Inc., the state Mental Health Office said.

OCM BOCES is short for Onondaga-Cortland-Madison Board of Cooperative Educational Services.

Reaction

One in four Americans will experience a mental illness in their lifetime, Dr. Ann Marie Sullivan, commissioner of the New York State Office of Mental Health, said in the release.

“As with many other health issues, early identification and intervention of mental illness is key to helping people find support and begin their journey to recovery. Mental Health First Aid is a nationally renowned program that is making a huge difference in the way that mental illness is recognized, treated, and accepted by communities. This is a very exciting program and I cannot wait to see the impact it has within Onondaga County and beyond!” Sullivan exclaimed.

Upstate Medical University is “pleased” to work with New York and Hutchings Psychiatric Center on such an “important initiative,” Dr. Danielle Laraque-Arena, president of Upstate Medical University, said in the release.

“This collaborative approach to enhancing early identification of and linkage to evidence-based treatment for mental health problems, as well as, community-based efforts at health promotion in support of resiliency, has the potential to move us forward by leaps and bounds in how our community cares for and nurtures its youth,” said Laraque-Arena.

Contact Reinhardt at ereinhardt@cnybj.com