Shrewsbury Youth And Family Services Inc

SYFS MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS TRAINING GRANT - PROJECT ABSTRACT SYFS IS PLANNING TO DELIVER MENTAL HEALTH FIRST AID (MHFA) AND YOUTH MENTAL HEALTH FIRST AID (YMHFA) TRAININGS ACROSS THE STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS WITH A FOCUS ON INCREASING THE CAPACITY OF SCHOOLS AND EMT’S/PARAMEDICS TO IDENTIFY AND RESPOND TO THE MENTAL HEALTH NEEDS OF THEIR STUDENTS AND PATIENTS. SYFS WILL PARTNER WITH SCHOOL DISTRICTS TO TRAIN THEIR STAFF IN YMHFA TO BETTER SUPPORT AND RESPOND TO THE BEHAVIORAL HEALTH CHALLENGES OF THEIR STUDENT BODY. SYFS WILL ALSO SEEK TO TRAIN NEW EMERGENCY MEDICAL TECHNICIANS (EMT) AND PARAMEDICS, BY PARTNERING WITH EMT/PARAMEDIC TRAINING PROGRAMS. EMT’S/ PARAMEDICS COME INTO CONTACT WITH A VARIETY OF THE POPULATION ALL OF WHOM ARE EXPERIENCING MEDICAL CRISES AND ARE THEREFORE WELL POSITIONED TO SUPPORT PEOPLE UNDER GREAT STRESS. OUR TRAINING WILL BOLSTER THEIR CAPACITY TO RESPOND SAFELY TO 911 CALLERS WITH MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES THAT MAY BE CO-OCCURRING WITH OR RESULTING FROM MEDICAL CRISES, IN ADDITION TO HELPING TO DE-ESCALATE MENTAL HEALTH CRISES. WE PLAN TO TRAIN 1,550 INDIVIDUALS OVER THE LIFE OF THE GRANT (250 IN Y1, 300 IN Y2 AND Y3 AND 350 IN Y4 AND Y5) USING THE FOLLOWING GENERAL GOALS AND OBJECTIVES : GOAL 1. TRAIN INDIVIDUALS TO RECOGNIZE THE SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS OF MENTAL DISORDERS, PARTICULARLY SERIOUS MENTAL ILLNESS (SMI) AND/OR SERIOUS EMOTIONAL DISTURBANCE (SED). OBJECTIVE 1: ON AN ANNUAL BASIS, SYFS STAFF WILL IDENTIFY AT LEAST THREE NEW SCHOOL DISTRICTS AND EMT TRAINING PROGRAMS TO TRAIN IN THE APPROPRIATE MENTAL HEALTH FIRST AID POPULATION MODULE. GOAL 2. ESTABLISH LINKAGES WITH SCHOOL- AND/OR COMMUNITY-BASED MENTAL HEALTH AGENCIES TO REFER INDIVIDUALS WITH THE SIGNS OR SYMPTOMS OF MENTAL ILLNESS TO APPROPRIATE SERVICES. OBJECTIVE 1: BY THE END OF THE PROJECT, EXPAND SYFS’ EXISTING MHFA REFERRAL PROGRAM’S CATCHMENT AREA TO ALL SCHOOL DISTRICTS TRAINED THROUGHOUT THE LIFE OF THE GRANT. GOAL 3. TRAIN EMERGENCY SERVICES PERSONNEL TO IDENTIFY PERSONS WITH A MENTAL DISORDER AND EMPLOY CRISIS DE-ESCALATION TECHNIQUES. OBJECTIVE 1: BY JUNE 30, 2023, SYFS WILL COLLABORATE WITH QUINSIGAMOND COMMUNITY COLLEGE’S EMT AND PARAMEDIC TRAINING PROGRAMS TO INTEGRATE MHFA INTO THEIR CURRICULUM. OBJECTIVE 2: ON AN ANNUAL BASIS, SYFS STAFF WILL IDENTIFY AT LEAST THREE NEW EMT TRAINING PROGRAMS TO TRAIN IN MENTAL HEALTH FIRST AID, FIRST RESPONDER MODULE. GOAL 4. EDUCATE INDIVIDUALS ABOUT MENTAL HEALTH RESOURCES AND BETTER PREPARE OTHERS ON HOW TO RESPOND TO INDIVIDUALS WITH MENTAL DISORDERS OBJECTIVE 1: BY OCTOBER 1, 2021, ASSIST 100% OF SCHOOL DISTRICTS TRAINED IN YMHFA TO CONNECT WITH COMMUNITY-BASED MENTAL HEALTH TREATMENT PROGRAMS FOR STUDENTS WITH SMI AND/OR SED. OBJECTIVE 2: BY OCTOBER 1, 2021, LAUNCH A SOCIAL MEDIA CAMPAIGN TO PROVIDE INFORMATION ABOUT MENTAL HEALTH RESOURCES AND HOW TO BETTER SUPPORT THOSE WITH MENTAL DISORDERS

SYFS - NOW IS THE TIME PROJECT AWARE-C

SYFS - NOW IS THE TIME PROJECT AWARE-C