Burlington Police Department Offers Adult Mental Health First Aid Training

Part of National Initiative to Increase Mental Health Literacy

On Friday, September 2, 2022, the Burlington Police Department will offer Mental Health First Aid training at the police department’s Black Hawk room 201 Jefferson St, Burlington, Iowa, from 8:00 AM-5:00 PM. This groundbreaking eight-hour training course gives people the tools to identify when someone might be struggling with mental health or substance use problems and to connect them with appropriate support and resources when necessary.

One in five Americans has a mental illness, but many are reluctant to seek help or might not know where to turn for care. Unlike physical conditions, symptoms of mental health and substance use problems can be difficult to detect. It can be hard for friends and family members to know when and how to step in. As a result, those in need of mental health services often do not get them until it is too late.

Just as CPR helps even those without clinical training assist an individual having a heart attack, Mental Health First Aid prepares participants to interact with a person experiencing a mental health crisis. Mental Health First Aiders learn a 5-step action plan that guides them through the process of reaching out and offering appropriate support.

“Through this program, we hope to take the fear and hesitation out of starting conversations about mental health and substance use problems,” says Linda Rosenberg, President and CEO of the National Council for Behavioral Health, which helped bring Mental Health First Aid to the U.S. in 2008. “When more people are equipped with the tools they need to start a dialogue, more people can get the help they may need.”

In just ten years, Mental Health First Aid has become a full-blown movement in the United States—more than 1 million people are certified Mental Health First Aiders, and that number is growing daily.

For more information or to participate in a Mental Health First Aid training in Burlington, Iowa, visit Mentalhealthfirstaid.org or contact Officer Brian Carper at carperb@burlingtoniowa.org. Class size is limited to 25participants. Registration closes on August 19th,2022. This class is free of cost. Southeast Iowa Link is covering all costs.

To learn more about Mental Health First Aid USA, visit www.mentalhealthfirstaid.org.

The National Council for Behavioral Health was instrumental in bringing Mental Health First Aid to the USA; more than 1 million individuals have been trained.