Equipping tennessee's first responders and educators - through the equipping tennessee's first responders and educators (etfre) initiative mental health association of middle tennessee ( DBA mental…

Equipping tennessee's first responders and educators - through the equipping tennessee's first responders and educators (etfre) initiative mental health association of middle tennessee ( DBA mental health america of the midsouth or MHA) will train firefighters, police and school resource officers, juvenile justice staff, military personnel/veterans and their families, homeland security personnel, disaster response teams, educators, and school administrators in mental health first aid (mhfa), youth mental health first aid (ymhfa), question, persuade, refer (QPR), and signs of suicide (SOS). Participants will learn to recognize the signs and symptoms of mental health issues, behavioral health crises, and suicide ideation in themselves or others; and to connect those in need with resources. The population to be served will be youth and young adults; people with SED or SMI in crisis; and veterans within the geographic catchment area of regions 4-7 of the tennessee department of mental health and substance abuse services planning and policy regions with some extension into region 3, reaching a population of 3,910,064 - 59% of the entire state population. Etfre will address tennessee populations that experience disparities in accessing mental health services, including african american and latinx; veterans/military personnel and families; lgbtqi+; and rural and/or low-income communities. The catchment area's population is 27% african american, 6% hispanic/latino, 18% in poverty, 3% lgptq and almost 5% veterans. Clinical characteristics include: suicide rate of 16.2/100,000 (exceeding national rate of 13.9); suicide is the 9TH leading cause of death in tennessee, the second-leading cause of death for adolescents ages 10-24, and out of every five children ages 2-17 in tennessee has a mental health condition; excessive drinking by 14.4% of adults; drug death rate of 19.9/100,000; tennessee ranked 43RD for the low number of mental health providers 138.2/100,000; and 42ND for the number of adults experiencing frequent mental distress (13.7%). Eftre plans to achieve the following goals and objectives: goal 1: increase the capacity of a diverse group of first responders, public safety, emergency services, teachers, school administrators, school resource officers, juvenile justice staff, and military serving personnel to recognize the signs and symptoms of mental illness and suicide in order to respond safely and appropriately. OBJ. A: MHA will train at least 5,000 people in mental health first aid; youth mental health first aid; question, persuade, refer; and signs of suicide. OBJ. B: MHA will provide training for first responders and school personnel representing at least 50 counties in middle and west tennessee. Goal 2: improve coordination of care and usage of mental health services by increasing awareness of mental health resources among trainees. OBJ. C: MHA will provide at least 5,000 trainees with local resources for mental health assistance. OBJ. D: MHA will conduct quarterly tracking of referral activities by etfre participants and referral partners.