Rushford Foundation, Inc. receives two grants to support Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) and Youth Mental Health First Aid (YMHFA)

(Meriden, CT)  -- Rushford, a Hartford HealthCare partner, has received grants totaling $24,000 to provide Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) and Youth Mental Health First Aid (YMHFA) training for both Rushford employees and the public at large. Rushford is one of the first organizations in the state to receive and offer YMHFA training, directed at training individuals who work with youth as well as selected youth peer leaders.

“Mental Health First Aid, for youth and adults, is a prevention tool that trains people to identify others who may be experiencing a mental health crisis. In partnering with Connecticut Health Foundation and the Workforce Alliance, Rushford will be able to grow this important mental health education and prevention program,” said Jeff Walter, Rushford’s President & CEO.

The Connecticut Health Foundation is providing $15,000 for the purpose of training and certifying qualified Rushford employees as instructors in the area of YMHFA, who will then hold trainings in Meriden, Wallingford and Middlesex County. The training focuses on the unique risk factors and warning signs of mental health problems in children and adolescents, builds an understanding of the importance of early intervention and teaches individuals how to help a youth in crisis or experiencing a mental health or substance use challenge.

The Workforce Alliance, an organization in New Haven that focuses on professional development, has awarded $9,000 to train 60 municipal and private sector employees in Meriden, Durham, Wallingford and Middlefield in the area of MHFA. An interactive, 12-hour training course, MHFA is designed to give members of the public the key skills required to help an individual who may be experiencing signs of crisis that are related to a mental health disorder, such as depression, panic-anxiety disorder or post-traumatic stress disorder.

For more information on becoming certified in MHFA, please contact Sheryl Sprague at sspragu@rushford.org, or call (203) 630-5357.

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Carol A. Vassar, Public Relations & Marketing Manager

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