Stewart Marchman Act Behavioral Healthcare Offering Mental Health First Aid Certification Course

BUNNELL, Fla. - May 6, 2014 - PRLog -- Contact: Sini Summerlin
(386) 236-1809
mhfa.volusiaflagler@hotmail.com

Flagler County, FL – Stewart Marchman Act Behavioral Healthcare is pleased to announce that a Mental Health First Aid certification course will be held at Vince Carter Sanctuary on May 23^rd and will teach attendees how to identify, understand and respond to signs of mental illness.

Flagler County was recently one of only seven Florida Counties to be awarded a grant under DCF's Criminal Justice, Mental Health and Substance Abuse Reinvestment Grant program.  The grant provide funds to Flagler County over three years that fund SMA’s Crisis Triage and Treatment Unit, providing services to Flagler residents who are involuntarily committed to mental health treatment under Florida's Baker Act.  Those services began on May 1. Additionally, the grant provides funding for Crisis Intervention Team Training to law enforcement agencies in Flagler and Mental Health First Aid training for Flagler County residents.

“We are excited to educate the public regarding mental illness,” said Sini Summerlin, CIT Coordinator/MHFA Instructor of SMA Behavioral Healthcare. “Education helps remove the stigma and confusion surrounding mental illnesses and addiction,” she added.

Mental Health First Aid is an 8-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 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.

SMA Behavioral Healthcare has been serving the northeast Florida community with mental health and drug treatment services for over 50 years. They operate 35 mental health and substance abuse programs, providing prevention, diversion, intervention, and treatment services, delivered to a diverse client population in a 4-county region (Flagler, Putnam, St. Johns, and Volusia). SMA’s St. Johns clinic provides outpatient mental health and addictions services to more than 1,000 residents annually.

SMA Behavioral Healthcare’s mission is to deliver exceptional and comprehensive behavioral healthcare to individuals and families in our community. Their vision is of a community where addiction and mental illness are treated promptly, comprehensively and with respect for all. They can be reached 800-539-4228 or online at http://www.smabehavioral.org/ (https://webmail.smabehavioral.org/owa/redir.aspx?C=kWtYS0...) or stay connected with them on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/SMABehavioralHealthServices (https://webmail.smabehavioral.org/owa/redir.aspx?C=kWtYS0...).

Mental Health First Aid originated in 2001 in Australia under the direction of founders Betty Kitchener and Tony Jorm. To date, it has been replicated in twenty 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 Flagler County, visit www.mentalhealthfirstaid.smabehavioral.org

or email Sini Summerlin, MHFA contact at mhfa.volusiaflagler@hotmail.com, or (386) 236-1809.