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The Mississippi Delta is known for extreme hardship and poverty. Our roads are mired with decades of human struggle and risk factors for mental health issues. In response, Community Students Learning Center (CSLC) and partners invite the SAMHSA to forge a new ROAD to wellness. ROAD: Rural Opportunities for Access and Development establishes mental health (MH) awareness trainings, decreases stigma, expands workforce training capacity, and results in expanded access and availability of trauma-informed, culturally, linguistically appropriate mental health services. MS Dept of MH’s Region 6 (HRSA MH Catchment Area #6). Comprised of 12 Delta counties (Attala, Bolivar, Carroll, Grenada, Holmes, Humphreys, Issaquena, Leflore, Montgomery, Sharkey, Sunflower, and Washington), each is designated as rural4 and a Health Professional Shortage Area (HSPA)5 in primary care, dental, and mental health. Contributing Factors and Demographics Averaged Across Twelve Counties Population Black White Poverty Child Poverty Mental Distress Grandparents Raising Grandchildren 18,101 36.25% 31.92% 30.45% 41.42% 15.08% 45.16% Severe Housing Problems Uninsured Poor Health Insufficient Sleep Social Isolation 18.50% 16.75% 28.08% 37.67% 86.83% Source: Robert Wood Johnson Foundation & U.S. Census Bureau A decade after being sued by the Southern Poverty Law Center7 for failing to meet the needs of Medicaid-eligible children with mental health needs, Mississippi remains stuck at bottom of national rankings for adult and child access to MH care.8 Within the state, access is the worst in the Delta.8,9,10 HRSA specifies Region 6 as a MH “High Needs Geographic HPSA” giving it a dismal score 21 out of 26.5While access is low, risk factors and needs are high. Poverty is rampant. Yet, it is black Delta residents who shoulder the brunt; unequally facing poverty THREE times the rate of white residents (Black: 48.5%; Whites 15.9%).12Even worse, more than twice as many black children live in poverty.11 Moreover, research indicates that 86.8% adults overuse prescription drugs in the Delta.13Snapshot Delta ROAD Implementation  Train/Certify instructors in Evidence-based Practice (EBP): Mental Health First Aid (MHFA)  MHFA instructors provide MHFA trainings to Target Training Recipient Groups  Graduates/completers of MHFA are known as “Mental Health First Aiders.”  Trainings prepare MH Aiders to: Recognize the signs and symptoms of, psychological distress/crisis, substance misuse, and/or mental disorders particularly SMI and/or serious emotional disturbances SED. Respond appropriately & safely to adults with MH disorders using de-escalation techniques. Refer adults with the signs or symptoms of mental illness to mental health services. SAMSHA says effective prevention saves $18 per $1 invested. Thus, with this $625,000 investment - ROAD will save an estimated $11.2m. Further, it allows us to build ROADs to health/wellness where none have been before.

This MHAT project is focused on the general population of Hopkinton, promoting a unified effort to bring evidence based mental health awareness training to a diverse range of community gatekeepers (those in roles of influence with many individuals). Programming will serve to provide de-escalation methods, reduce stigma, enhance care, and provide clear pathways to access treatment and coordinate delivery of mental health awareness training and resources.

The Community Based Mental Health Education and Awareness Initiative for Eastern Washington seeks to increase mental health literacy, resources, screening and referrals for psychosis and other mental health problems experienced by youth, aged 15 to 25, in Spokane County, Washington. Through this initiative, we aim to 1) annually train 200 service providers and community members in medical, legal, and school-based settings on how to recognize signs and symptoms of serious emotional disturbances and serious mental illness (SED/SMI) among youth 15 to 25 years of age (n=1000 across the five year project), using the Youth and Adult Mental Health First Aid curriculum adapted to include training on screening tools for early onset psychosis; 2) educate service providers on valid screening tools for identifying psychotic disorders and making referrals to CSC programs; 3) increase referrals to mental health services and CSC programs for early psychosis; and 4) provide public mental health education and events that address stigma, mental health equity, and community concerns. These trainings and public mental health events will help to inform stronger referral linkages between community-based organizations and community-based mental health agencies as well as increased screening of first-episode psychosis among youth in Spokane County.

The proposed project aims to deliver evidence-based mental health awareness training designed to increase knowledge, decrease stigma, and encourage help-seeking behavior. It is our ultimate goal to extend and deepen our community's mental health literacy, strengthen the collaborative efforts that are being made (on campus and in Washington County) to proactively confront and dismantle stigma around mental health concerns, and create a local culture where the discussion and dialogue about mental health is as common and supported as the discussion about any other health and wellness concern. The URI Community Mental Health Awareness Project makes broadly available training to identify, approach, and support individuals who may be struggling with mental/behavioral health concerns. The proposed initiative will develop and implement strategies to deliver the evidence-based Mental Health First Aid (MHFA), Youth Mental Health First Aid (YMHFA) and ProjectConnect curricula to faculty, staff, and students at URI, as well as key populations in Washington County in positions to directly intervene on mental and behavioral health crisis, and identify those individuals who may be experiencing the early signs of mental health concerns. The Implementation of MHFA (including population- specific modules such as Public Safety, Veterans, and Higher Education) will be a collaborative effort between the University of Rhode Island and the South County Healthy Bodies Healthy Minds organization. Through this joint effort, the URI Community Mental Health Awareness Project will deliver a population-based approach to providing transferrable and sustainable skills that help with 1) the identification of and intervention on the signs and symptoms of mental/behavioral health needs, including those for depression, anxiety, substance use/abuse, psychosis, and risk of suicide and self-harm; 2) increased knowledge of and access to campus and community resources for treatment and referral; 3) greater communication and coordination of services between campus and community providers; and 4) the development of a sustainable peer-led mental health training experience for incoming and transfer students. It is expected that approximately 2700 participants will be trained in MHFA/YMHFA during the 5-year project (just over 500 participants per year), and approximately 60 MHFA- trained peer facilitators at URI will be trained to deliver ProjectConnect to incoming and transfer students in years 3-5. All participants will complete a baseline survey, a post- training survey, and will receive a 3mo follow up survey which are expected to demonstrate increased knowledge of and confidence using skills and strategies to intervene on potential mental/behavioral health concerns, as well as increased awareness of and utilization of appropriate campus and community mental/behavioral health resources.

U.S.VETS – Las Vegas proposes mental health awareness training for two populations: 1) U.S.VETS staff serving homeless and at-risk veterans in the Las Vegas and greater Southern Nevada region; and 2) homeless and at-risk veterans residing at U.S.VETS – Las Vegas’ transitional housing facility. As the largest nonprofit veteran service provider in the region, this dual focus ensures that staff are trained to identify signs and symptoms of a mental health or substance use crisis among veterans experiencing homelessness, while also supporting these veterans in identifying signs and symptoms among their peers. In total, over a five year grant period, U.S.VETS will train 500 individuals.

The San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools (SBCSS) through the Mental Health Awareness Training (MHAT) grant proposes to reach a total of 7,735 staff working with students in grades K-12 to identify the early signs of mental health conditions and provide linkage to services through school-based mental health referrals. The scope of work is to reduce the gap between need and mental health care in school aged students grades K-12 with high level of generational poverty and gaps in access to mental health services. Early identification of mental health conditions by staff trained in Youth Mental Health First Aid (YMHFA) will link students to mental health services through systematic school-based referral processes. Each year, a cohort of 17 YMHFA Trainer of Trainers (TOT) will be certified to deliver YMHFA in San Bernardino county, with each instructor training up to 30 individuals per year. During the life of the grant a total of 85 YMHFA TOT's will be qualified to continue delivering YMHFA trainings countywide. As a result of these training there is an anticipated 5% increase in school-based mental health referrals to the Department of Behavioral Health (DBH) Prevention and Intervention (PI) Student Assistance Providers (SAP) currently working with schools across the county.

Claiborne Healthcare Foundation will provide the Claiborne Project AWARE program to improve mental wellbeing in Claiborne Parish, Louisiana through a coordinated community-wide plan that significantly increases the number of mental health literate community members who are able to proactively respond to the behavioral health issues of its rural community. There is a significant need for mental health awareness training for individuals who come into contact with both adults and children in need of mental health services. Our identified populations of focus are schools, law enforcement, firefighters and EMS, healthcare providers, and the faith-based community. Claiborne Healthcare Foundation has developed collaborative partnerships with multiple agencies/organizations who have committed to host/conduct trainings, assist with the response to mental health issues, and to improving the coordination of services to the populations of focus. The four goals of the project are 1) build community capacity to detect and respond to the mental health needs of the target population; 2) increase the mental health literacy of adults in Claiborne Parish; 3) reduce stigma and discrimination associated with mental illness; and 4) increase access to resources and community-based mental health services. Claiborne AWARE will provide Mental Health First Aid (Rural/Fire and EMS/Law Enforcement; Youth Mental Health First Aid; teen Mental Health First Aid; and Applied Suicide Intervention Skills and Training (A.S.I.S.T.) to 2,800 unduplicated individuals over the 5 year funding period. In addition, a parish-wide multi-level social marketing campaign will be conducted to combat the stigma and discrimination surrounding mental illness. The Claiborne Healthcare Foundation is confident that a culture of compassion around mental illness will be cultivated in the community through this project.

Oldham County Healthy Minds Healthy Lives will be implemented in Oldham County, Kentucky. Seven Counties Services in Louisville, Kentucky, a community mental health center serving seven counties in north central Kentucky since 1989, will work with the Oldham County Health Department in Lagrange, Kentucky to train individuals (e.g., school personnel, emergency first responders, law enforcement, veterans and their families) in Mental Health First Aid. Mental Health First Aiders will be trained to recognize the signs and symptoms of mental disorders, particularly serious mental illness (SMI) and/or serious emotional disturbance (SED). Seven Counties Services will establish linkages with schools and/or community-based mental health agencies to refer individuals with the signs or symptoms of mental illness to appropriate services. In addition, Seven Counties Services will train emergency services personnel to identify persons with mental disorder and employ crisis de-escalation techniques as well as identify available resources in the community. The population to be served will be Oldham County residents, which is estimated to be 66,799 in the 2020 American Community Survey. On average Oldham County residents experience an average of 3.9 days of poor mental health per month. Twelve percent of the population reported experiencing frequent mental distress. According to the 2020 County Health Rankings Report, the ration of mental health providers in Oldham County is 1 for every 1,090 people in the county compared to Kentucky’s ration of 1 provider for every 440 people. The project goals and measurable objectives are as follows. The goal will be for trained community members and partners to recognize the signs and symptoms of serious mental illness and emotional disturbances, to actively identify youth and adults who have those signs and symptoms and to create new linkages that support early intervention and referral to assessment, treatment and support services. Citizens will be trained to safely respond to individuals with mental disorders, particularly those with serious mental illness or emotional disturbance. Project Objectives for this goal are as follows: Objective 1: 700 Mental Health First Aiders (100 in year 1, 150 each in years 2-5) will be trained in Mental Health First Aid curricula and certified as Mental Health First Aiders; Objective 2: 60 Oldham County mental health workers (12 per year) will be trained in Mental Health First Aid and certified as Mental Health First Aiders. Objective 3: Referrals of unduplicated people (Year 1: 100; Year 2: 475; Year 3: 1,075; Year 4: 1,900; and Year 5: 2,950) will be made to assessment, treatment or support services based on SAMHSA guidelines. Objective 4: 90% of those completing Mental Health First Aid training will pass the course quiz with a score of 80% or higher.

The University of Maryland Extension’s Maryland Chain of Care (MCC) project will provide Mental Health Awareness Training (MHAT) using the MHFA program to individuals affiliated with (1) peer recovery community organizations and (2) human service referral agencies and libraries. The purpose of the project is to train individuals to prepare them how to recognize and appropriately and safely respond to individuals with mental disorders, particularly individuals with serious mental illness (SMI) and serious emotional disturbances (SED). The measurable outcome of the project has been identified as training 250 individuals in peer recovery, human service agencies, and librarians per year to reach our 5-year goal of 1250 individuals. We target peer recovery community organizations across Maryland and human service organizations and libraries, serving Western and Central Maryland (Baltimore City, Garret, Allegany, Washington, Baltimore, Howard, Prince George’s Counties). In Collaboration with Voices of Hope, Office of Consumer Advocates, Consumer United Way of Central Maryland, and public libraries, the program goals and activities for the next five years will include: Goal 1 Increase the capacity of individuals in peer recovery community organizations, human service organizations, and libraries to recognize the signs and symptoms of mental disorders, and to safely respond to by training them with the evidenced-based program MHFA. Objective 1.1. By September 29, 2022, 16 individuals in mental health and human service professions will have completed MHFA instructors training. (16 each in Y2-5, a total of 80 instructors) Objective 1.2. By September 29, 2022, 150 individuals from peer recovery community organizations, 40 human service organizations, and 60 librarians will have completed the MHFA program. (250 each in Y2-5, total of 1,250 individuals) Goal 2 Increase the number of referrals for individuals with the signs or symptoms of mental illness to appropriate services Objective 2.1. By September 29, 2022, the referral mechanism, including the list of mental health services and resources using pre-existing relationships, referral assessment, tracking databases will used to make referrals for 500 individuals. (500 each in Y 2-5, total: 2,500) Objective 2.2. By September 29, 2022, resources and supports of mental health services for the population of focus will be distributed to 1000 individuals. (1,000 each in Y 2-5, total: 5,000) The project will increase the number of trained individuals with MHFA, strengthen the collaboration and coordination among professionals, and increase the information dissemination and referrals to mental health services.

If funded by the SAMSHA MHAT Grant, Educational Service District (ESD) 123 intends to utilize the funds to train both Spanish-speaking and English-speaking community members, families, 10th grade students, school staff, and other related workforce on Youth Mental Health First Aid (YMHFA) and Teen Mental Health First Aid (tMHFA), which are designed to teach individuals how to identify, understand, and respond to signs and symptoms of mental health issues in adolescents (12-18), our population of focus. The goals of this project are to increase access to services for youth experiencing mental health problems, decrease negative outcomes such as suicide, and increase mental health awareness in our community. ESD 123 will utilize the grant funds to train approximately 8,545 individuals in our community. ESD 123 serves 23 school districts in 7 counties of Southeastern Washington. Through dedicated Behavioral Health services, ESD 123 plays a critical role in navigating complex systems and access to care for youth. The project will be implemented in Benton and Franklin counties which have a combined population of approximately 290,000 people. In Benton and Franklin counties, there is a significant Hispanic/Latino population that has more than doubled over the past two decades, increasing from 40,838 (21% of total population) in 2000, to 91,783 (32% of total population) in 2017. The region has a substantial Spanish-speaking population. In Pasco, for example, the majority (54%) of the population over 5 years of age spoke a language other than English in the home, predominantly Spanish. Given the growing Hispanic/Latino population in Benton and Franklin counties, there is substantial need for mental health awareness trainings offered in Spanish, yet none are currently offered within our community. If funded by the SAMSHA Mental Health Awareness Training Grant, by the end of year 2 of the project, ESD 123 will provide 8 YMHFA trainings in Spanish to 240 Spanish- speaking community members. Young people are considered a vulnerable population who are more affected by behavioral health challenges. Barriers to addressing these issues include stigma related to receiving mental health treatment and a lack of funding for treatment. There is a concern with youth mental health and rising youth suicide in Benton and Franklin counties. According to the Washington State Department of Health, Benton County had a suicide rate of 12.4 (per 100,000) from 2013 to 2017, compared to the statewide average, which was a rate of 11.6. Our community has been devastated by the tragic impact of suicide among our youth. This has led to the increased need for preventing youth suicide and destigmatizing mental health. The specific outcome that ESD 123 hopes to achieve is to have 50% of participants in YMHFA and tMHFA trainings report increased confidence in knowing when to refer youth to services.

Alabama has a population of approximately 3,000,000 persons (60% of total population) who live in a HRSA-designated mental health provider shortage area. The First Congressional District of Southwest Alabama has population to mental health providers ratios that range from 1040:1 (Baldwin County) to 4090:1 (Washington County). State-level projections of supply and demand for behavioral health occupations suggests that Alabama will continue to have a deficit of mental health care providers of all types through the year 2030. The need for innovative solutions to gaps in recovery-based services are magnified for the 64,000 military Veterans residing in the 8-county catchment area of South Alabama. Additionally, Veterans are often employed as First Responder personnel. According to a Supplementary Research Bulletin from SAMSHA , it is estimated that 30% of first responders develop behavioral health conditions including, but not limited to, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder. Culturally, firefighters are brave, strong, and resilient, yet they experience fear of losing their career if speaking about their mental or emotional distress. The report also described a lack of awareness and pragmatic barriers (i.e.. high cost of services, erratic work schedules) that limit their ability to seek care. Collectively, the need to improve mental health literacy, decrease stigma, and offer resources to increase the capacity of Veterans, First Responders, and their Family Members is clear. Therefore, our populations of focus are Veterans and Emergency Services personnel (many of whom are Veterans). Mental health awareness and de-escalation training will be provided to Veterans and their families, Emergency Services Personnel (Firefighters & Emergency Medical Technicians), and other professionals who will likely encounter Veterans in their everyday work. These professionals include primary care providers, Veteran Service Organization personnel, faculty and staff of a local institutions of higher education, and faith based organization. The project will deliver training and services to the six counties of the First Congressional District of Southwest Alabama intending to reach approximately 5700 persons.

Elizabeth Public School’s (EPS) Project Awareness is a comprehensive training program with the goal to provide mental health awareness and verbal de-escalation techniques to thousands of in-district staff. The training will provide district staff with critical training in identifying mental illness, de-escalation skills in response to episodes of mental illness, and a system of reporting and referring to immediately address students’ needs. EPS’s Project Awareness will have the potential to impact over 28,000 school age children and the thousands of families that interact with EPS staff on a daily basis. EPS comprises a population of 28,431 students with an ethnic breakdown of 68% Hispanic, 18% Black, 9% White, and 4% Asian. 78% of this population is on free/reduced lunch. 21% of this population is English Language Learners. 12% are students with special needs and 3% are serviced through Section 504. During the 2019-2020 school year EPS mental health staff made approximately 570 referrals for mental health related services. Throughout the lifetime of the grant our partnerships with Crisis Prevention Institute (CPI) and Handle with Care (HWC), we will train over 100 district mental health staff (i.e., School Counselors, Social Workers, and Division of Special Services) in hands-off policies, that teach staff to respond to crisis situations with a focus on verbal de-escalation techniques and safe, non-restrictive interventions. Certifying a large group of mental health professionals in CPI and HWC will provide the district with the capacity to turn-key this training to critical staff such as Security, Transportation, and all classroom/personal assistants at all our 36 schools, divisions, and departments. Additionally, we understand the value of ALL staff having a basic understand of identifying students with SMI/SED and intervening to de-escalate situations that may arise. Therefore, over 2,000 certified staff will receive yearly training on mental health awareness. It is the intent of Project Awareness to train over 2300 EPS staff members yearly in verbal interventions by which staff will learn to recognize the stages of an escalating crisis and evidenced-based techniques to appropriately de-escalate. Furthermore, the project will develop and maintain an accessible referral system that allows our trained staff member to efficiently report instances of SMI and/or SED. We recognize the importance of having personnel properly trained in identifying these incidents in order to refer students to the appropriate level of care. Over the next 5 years our goals are to increase the number of student mental health referrals to adequately address/intervene with students exhibiting SMI and/or SED, in order to decrease ineffective disciplinary consequences (i.e., suspension).

The Southern Gateway Resilience Coalition will increase mental health awareness and evidence-based interventions among all education personnel through on-demand, virtual training in intervention and de-escalation and assisting school districts in ongoing implementation of the Wisconsin Mental Health Framework. Wisconsin’s Rock and Walworth counties comprise a rural, low-income, high needs and designated Mental Health Professional Shortage Area. Approximately 600-700 individuals will complete training each year, leading to a total of 3,366 unduplicated staff and community members trained by the end of the grant’s 5-year period. The project’s primary strategy to address this critical need is to leverage the work already being done by the school districts using the WI School Mental Health Framework, a multi-level systems of support model, to collaborate with the school personnel and county mental health units around implementation of a mental health awareness training and capacity-building plan. Goal 1: Establish ongoing collaboration of the Southern Gateway Resilience Coalition members using implementation science for continuous improvement. - Establish Primary, Regional and Local Implementation teams - Develop and implement customized training plan for each school district within each year - Build membership of Regional Implementation team to allow ongoing collaboration as new school districts join and complete trainings, leading to full regional representation on the coalition and the development of a long-term strategic collaboration plan Goal 2: Increase successful referrals to school- and county-based mental health services. - Document and publish local referral pathways specific to each county and school - Train the full spectrum of school personnel in identification and de-escalation strategies for individuals displaying mental health symptoms or in possible crisis, along with the specific referral process for the school and county Goal 3: Increase the number of individual students trained in peer-to-peer support in middle and high schools. - Identify current peer leaders, collaborate with peer leader advisors to recruit additional members, and provide training in peer to peer mental health symptoms and crisis support Goal 4: Increase the total number of mental health resource-focused family and community engagement opportunities available to the full regional population, including the number of individual opportunities targeted to diverse, underserved population groups.

Association House of Chicago's (AHC) Mental Health Awareness Training (MHAT) Program will serve community members in and around Humboldt Park on Chicago's West Side. This community faces significant challenges that affect residents' mental health including violence, racial disparities, unemployment, and poverty. The neighborhood's population is 52% Latinx, 41% Black, and 5% White. The MHAT program currently offers Adult Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) with specialized training for veterans, first responders, and higher education, and Youth Mental Health First Aid (YMHFA). This funding opportunity would allow AHC to add new training opportunities to the program: teen MHFA, QPR Gatekeeper Training, and Emotional CPR. Most trainings can be facilitated in English and Spanish. Participants trained in any of these MHAT courses will be prepared to assist an individual with SMI and/or SED and de-escalate an unsafe situation with an individual in crisis. They will also be able to make referrals to community mental health resources and services. AHC's MHAT program will train 650 individuals annually, for a total of 3,250 individuals over a five-year period. The goals of the MHAT program are to 1) increase the number of individuals trained and certified in a mental health awareness training so that they can appropriately respond to an individual in crisis; 2) establish linkages between community-based mental health agencies that accept referrals for individuals with signs/symptoms of mental illness or emotional disturbance; and 3) facilitate education and outreach events that make community resources more available to those with SMI/SED.

Pinal Hispanic Council and its Consortium partners propose to implement Project Safety Net. Project Safety Net will implement the Mental Health First Aid trainings to Consortium members and general public in Pinal County, Arizona. Project Safety Link proposes to train a minimum of three hundred participants a year for a total of 300 participants during the five year project. The Consortium partners include law enforcement, fire departments, first responders, schools, social services, Veterans, and community coalitions. Project Safety Net will utilize the Mental Health First Aid training program as its evidenced based practice model. Project Safety Net will also utilize the Trauma Informed Care model to train participants on the importance of trauma informed care and how to integrate trauma informed care when responding to mental health situations. Finally, Project Safety Net will incorporate the Razalogia Community Mobilization Framework to provide a cultural competency community intervention approach focusing on Conocimiento(Mutual Understanding), Confianza(Trust), Unidad(Unity), and Poder(Power). Project Safety Link will utilize a process and outcome evaluation design to evaluate the efficacy of its implementation strategies so that other communities may gain from its successes.

PACE Coalition is a community-based organization serving Elko, Eureka and White Pine Counties in northeastern Nevada. This area is the corner where Utah, Idaho and Nevada all come together. It is designated Rural and Rural/Frontier. PACE’s motto is “Healthy Communities . . . Whatever it Takes” and is reflected in our work with health services, preventing and reducing substance use and abuse and other needed resources in our communities. PACE serves three distinct counties which span 30,280 square miles with a population of 63,835. This project seeks to increase access to mental health services by increasing awareness of the issues and strengthening the qualifications of the workforce and increasing the referrals to services. By Build collaborative partnership with rural hospitals, healthcare leaders, law enforcement, first responders, school districts and service providers in Elko, Eureka, and White Pine counties to create a formalized network to meet the Mental Health Care needs of community members. Develop a plan to improve mental health care services through in person and tele-health. Increase Adult Mental health awareness in community members, service providers, law enforcement. Increase youth mental health awareness in PACE Coalition’s elementary and middle schools’ educators, counselors, students, and parents, Increase mental health awareness, in law enforcement, and first responders, while increasing their ability to identify signs and symptoms of mental illness, and de-escalate incidents of mental health crisis.

The Culturally Responsive Latinx Mental Health Training Program is a grassroots, place-based effort to address barriers to care through providing Spanish-language MHFA, YMHFA, and QPR trainings with a focus on improved cultural responsiveness, neighborhood engagement, and resource referrals. The program will train at least 225 community members and service providers in the first year and over 1600 participants in five years. To build additional training capacity and in response to needs identified by Oregon’s existing Latinx mental health trainers, the program will also include monthly, web-based Spanish-language learning collaboratives for MHFA and QPR trainers across the state. Health and economic disparities have been exacerbated by Covid-19, leaving Oregon’s already underserved Latinx communities in need of more focused, accessible support. 13% of Oregon’s total residents, and 25% of Oregon’s youth, identify as Latino/a/x. In Oregon’s urban hub, Multnomah County, Latinx families are 154% more likely to live in poverty than Whites and roughly one-third are without health insurance. For these communities, delivering trainings at natural contact points such as faith-based organizations, community centers, and schools is critical, and it empowers community members to care for one another through culturally responsive training to promote increased awareness of mental health distress and improved understanding of available resources. This program will be supported by a full-time Bilingual Community Training Specialist (BCTS). Lines for Life’s statewide network of QPR trainers and our long-standing relationship with Oregon’s MHFA Statewide program positions us well to dynamically assess and respond to needs across the state. QPR has proven to be a strong introductory training while MHFA provides a broader training with added time for discussion. Offering both trainings will allow individual participants and organizations to engage in programming that best fits their needs. This flexibility will allow Lines for Life to provide timely, focused response to the needs of the Latinx community. The BCTS will also support Spanish-speaking trainers already participating in our statewide network with outreach, culturally responsive resource lists, and learning collaboratives to provide sustainable and extensive training reach across Oregon. The BCTS will also promote QPR and MHFA Train-the-Trainer opportunities to grow the network of Spanish-language trainers.

Mendocino County Office of Education's (MCOE) Community Mental Wellness project will promote mental wellness in MCOE’s target population, K -12 students, by providing Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) trainings to teachers, administrators, school counselors, school nurses and other personnel on school sites. MHFA trainings will also be made available to community youth-serving agencies as well as to the general community. Parents, foster parents, health care practitioners, emergency responders, church leaders and members, and anyone having close contact with youth can benefit from this training. This evidence-based training will provide resources, tools and strategies for early identification, intervention and prevention of mental health issues in our youth, and to reduce stigma. MCOE aims to better equip our community, as a whole, to understand, assist and support youth struggling with mental health issues. MCOE will also make MHFA trainings accessible to our neighboring counties of Lake, Sonoma, Humboldt and Del Norte counties. Mental Health First Aid instructors are more scarce in these regions with only 2 instructors in Lake County, 4 in Sonoma, 2 in Humboldt, and 0 in Del Norte. We will promote and invite our community and school partners from these counties to MCOE’s MHFA trainings. We have had collaborative partnerships with these counties in various sectors from education to youth organizations. In addition, many of our youth and students may transfer or attend schools, and transition regularly to different family homes across county lines. Expanding mental health awareness and literacy beyond Mendocino County’s borders, in areas where there are many rural, remote and isolated communities, will build and strengthen our existing partnerships with neighboring counties, and in turn strengthen the overall mental health supports for all students and youth. In 2020, due to Covid-19 and school shut-downs, MCOE has been delivering MHFA trainings virtually. When schools and MCOE offices re-open, we will be able to offer MHFA trainings in a variety of formats: in-person, blended, and virtual, at the MCOE campuses, and also to our remote locations by taking the training on the road. The goal of the MCOE Community Mental Health Wellness Project is to train a minimum of 275 school staff and community members a year, 1,375 in the course of the 5-year grant period in Mental Health First Aid; expand MCOE’s capacity to provide increased MHFA trainings by increasing the number of staff who are certified Mental Health First Aid instructors; train at least 2 - 4 additional staff as Mental Health First Aid instructors to add to our current stable of 8 MHFA instructors; provide access to MHFA trainings and expand mental health literacy and awareness in more remote communities of Mendocino County and beyond; address ethnic disparities through outreach to our underserved Native American and Latino communities; increase the schools’ and general community’s knowledge and awareness of signs and symptoms of mental illness; and increase MCOE’s organizational capacity as a community and school district resource for mental health awareness and information.

The Santa Cruz County Mental Health Awareness Training Project will utilize a wide array of evidence-based strategies and approaches to meet the goals and community awareness an training objectives proposed by SAMHSA and NIH as well as targeted action items related to addressing the role of trauma in our community and enhancing trauma-informed and culturally sensitive approaches. In the first year of this project 2,400 individuals will be trained in mental health awareness and stigma reduction. Constructing Circles of Peace is proposing the Santa Cruz County Mental Health Awareness Training Project to fully implement the strategies and goals of the SAMHSA Mental Health Awareness Training Grant to veteran's, adults, parents, educators, and youth in Santa Cruz County, Arizona. Constructing Circles of Peace has a long -standing history of actively collaborating with other coalitions and community agencies across the county, state of Arizona and across the nation. Since 2004 Circles of Peace has been at the cutting edge of implementing holistic, trauma informed approaches and strategies to substance abuse prevention, treatment, support and recovery. Training and services will be delivered throughout Santa Cruz County, Arizona - a predominately Latino community in the southeastern corner of Arizona on the U. S. - Mexico border and home to Arizona's largest international border town of Nogales. Goals of this program will be to: Increase the capacity of individuals to recognize the signs and symptoms of mental disorders, particularly serious emotional disturbances (SED) among school-aged youth and serious mental illness (SMI) in veterans, victims of domestic violence and individuals with an SUD. Increase the capacity of local systems and individuals in those systems to utilize safe and developmentally appropriate responses when interacting with individuals displaying symptoms of mental illness. Decrease youth and adult untreated mental health and suicide rates by increasing awareness of community-based resources and improving cross-sector collaboration on school - and community-based referral processes. Decrease youth mental health and suicide rates by implementing evidence-based programs that improve resiliency and foresters supportive perspectives and responses among youth, parents/caregivers and systems that serve youth and families. Evidence based programs and frameworks to be utilized throughout this project will include Mental Health First Aid, Youth Mental Health First Aid, Kids at hope Model, ACES and Trauma, Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT), Strategic Prevention Framework (SPF), Trauma Informed Care Approach (TIC), Restorative Justice Circle Model (RJ), and Mindfulness Based Interventions. For the subsequent four years of the project, we intend to use our evaluation findings at the end of this cycle to inform the next iteration of the action plan, but will at minimum, continue to train 1,450 community members each year in mental health awareness and stigma reduction.

The Alaska Mental Health Awareness Training Program (AKMHAT) will provide statewide training to Alaskans in key systems such as education, public safety, first responders, services for veterans and service members and family members of persons experiencing mental illness or crisis. The goals of this training initiative will be to improve awareness of mental health, improve responsiveness of key systems to mental illness or crisis and to facilitate the referral of persons to mental health services as needed. We will use three evidence-based training curricula, the Alaska Trauma 101, Mental Health First Aid and QPR Suicide Prevention training. Training will be targeted to those working in key systems who are responding to members of the public who experience severe mental illness (SMI) children who experience severe emotional disturbance (SED) and both adults and children with substance use disorders (SUD) and co-occurring disorders (COD). The project will train 900 persons in the first year and 1000 persons each in years 3-5 for a total of 4900 persons trained. We will use a hybrid, rural training delivery model to provide in-person training in rural hub communities and live webinars to reach communities statewide. This initiative will be supported by a targeted mental health awareness campaign and development of streamlined referral processes and referral process trainings to support the successful referral of Alaskans experiencing mental illness or crisis to appropriate mental health services.

St. Petersburg College (SPC) and the Community Foundation of Tampa Bay (CFTB) are partnering to launch Addressing Crisis Today in Tampa Bay (ACT-TB), which will expand current efforts to raise awareness of the prevalence of mental health issues in the community, through the training of school personnel, first responders, health care workers, veterans’ organizations, faith-based organizations and other non-profits to be certified in Mental Health First Aid (MHFA). The goals of this initiative are to increase the capacity of direct service providers to identify, understand and respond to signs of mental illness, support the compilation of information on mental health services and referrals across Tampa Bay, and increase access to and use of referral and mental health resources. Through targeted outreach, individuals to be trained will include those working with populations vulnerable to mental health challenges. Through MHFA training, individuals who have high interactions with the public will learn to identify mental health issues, be better prepared and know how to respond when faced with individuals in potential mental health crisis situations. With a goal of helping MHFA become as common as CPR, ACT-TB will engage a consortium of community partners to develop a regional approach to mental health support for the broader Tampa Bay community. The consortium will develop mechanisms for tracking referrals to mental health service providers, and develop shared goals for establishing centralized resources and monitoring regional mental health benchmarks. Funding will support training to certify 16 additional MHFA instructors, and, approximately 4,750 individuals (average of 950 per year) will be trained in MHFA. The primary outcome will be at least 80% of participants will demonstrate increased knowledge of signs and symptoms of mental illnesses, and increased confidence in being able to respond to an individual in distress, as demonstrated through pre- and post- course evaluations. Funding will also support consortium strategic planning sessions, the development of centralized resources, and a full-time Mental Health Awareness Training Coordinator to coordinate training, develop materials and conduct additional outreach.

Habilitative Systems, Inc.’s Mental Health Practicum will target African Americans, First Responders, Faith Organizations, Law Enforcement, School Administration, parents and caregivers of adolescents and adults who demonstrate risk factors associated with serious emotional disturbances and or mental disorders, to provide Mental Health Assessment Training. HSI serves disadvantaged community areas in Chicago, Illinois, more specifically, the high-risk communities of Austin, North Lawndale, West Garfield Park, and Englewood. Environmental and social factors such as extreme poverty, violence, trauma, high employment, lack of affordable housing, and homelessness are all too common. The availability and prevalence of opioids and other substance use besiege these communities daily. It is also known that individuals suffering from mental disorders can choose to harmfully self- medicate. The proposed training plan includes three major components: 1) Mental Health Disorders Treatment Services, so trainees are able to advocate and support cohesive services for individuals assessed with mental disorder(s); 2) a Task Force that will create a Community Mental Health and Service Directories for agencies to use as referrals sources to connect individuals to housing, health, TANF, Medicaid, child care, transportation, legal issues, and more supports for emotional, social and mental health needs; and 3) a culturally competent Family Psychoeducation program to teach families about mental illness, how to identify the warning signs, and review the fact sheets concerning mental illness. HSI will utilize its trainings to facilitate the dissemination of mental health information to large numbers of community stakeholders. HSI will administer a minimum of 36 trainings per year or 180 over a period of 5 years. HIS will train 50 community stakeholders during the first year, 100 the second year, 100 the third year, 125 the fourth year, and 125 the fifth year for a total of 500 trained stakeholders. HSI’s Mental Health Practicum will increase access to mental health; increase community mental health partnerships, increase the number of mental health trainers; and improve family well-being. The specific measures include number of referrals, number of follow-up interviews, number of new community stakeholders to join Taskforce, number of stakeholders who successfully complete training, and pre- and post- surveys and assessments.

Mental Health Awareness Training in Linn, Benton, Lincoln Counties is an initiative of the Oregon State University Center for Health Innovation (OCHI). We are proposing to offer two types of mental health awareness trainings (Youth Mental Health First Aid [YMHFA] and Question, Persuade, Refer [QPR]) to adults who work with school-age youth in Linn, Benton, and Lincoln Counties in Oregon. Trainees may include teachers, foster parents, clinicians, public safety or law enforcement, other emergency service providers, parents, or community-based organization staff members. The population of focus is (K-12) school-aged youth. Our program seeks to fill existing gaps in the region by providing evidence-based mental health awareness training, accurate and specialized resource guides, and by bolstering improvements to local referral processes and networks. Our team brings committed, trusting partnerships with local community organizations, including Trillium Family Services (a local provider of youth mental/behavioral health services), Linn, Benton, Lincoln System of Care (a self-described "collaborative network of problem solvers" who serve children with complex needs and their families). In keeping with the SAMHSA mission, our mission for this program is to reduce the impact of mental illness and substance abuse on our tri-county region. Goals of the program are to (1) Increase the number of adults who work with youth in Linn, Benton, and Lincoln counties who are trained to recognize the signs and symptoms of mental disorders, to respond safely and appropriately, and to refer to community resources; (2) Establish and further strengthen referral linkages between tri-county community partners (e.g., schools or community-based organizations) and mental health care providers to ensure individuals with mental illness receive appropriate services; and, (3) Promote community resources that are available for children and youth with a mental disorder. We believe that the activities of this program will significantly improve the regional landscape for youth mental/behavioral health. By the end of the five-year project period (09/29/2026), our team will have trained (1a) 800 adults who work with children/youth in YMHFA; and (2a) 1100 adults who work with children/youth in QPR, with at least 50% of YMHFA and QPR trainees demonstrating increased confidence in (1b, 2b) recognizing and (1c, 2c) responding to signs and symptoms of mental illness/crisis in youth. Towards improving referral networks, we will have (3) engaged in existing bi-weekly tri-county provider network meetings; (4) increased from 3 to 8 the number of regional organizations who are collaborating on improvements to the referral and tracking mechanisms; and (5) convened/provided 8 referral Quality Improvement sessions. Finally, towards promoting community resources, we expect that (6) 1000 unique users will have accessed online resource guides, and (7) we will have disseminated 17,500 mental health awareness graphic novels to middle-school aged youth.

The Engaging Nebraska Educators in Mental Health Awareness Training project will capitalize on the position of local schools to meet the mental health needs of Nebraska students in grades K-12, by training educators in the evidence-based intervention of Psychological First Aid for Schools (PFA-S). Currently, the mental health needs of Nebraska’s youth are growing, yet unmet due to a shortage of available mental health services across the state. This project will meet this shortage by preparing and utilizing a workforce positioned in every community in the state – educators. However, to fully support and respond to students’ mental health needs, educators require additional training and support. PFA-S is designed for delivery in school settings by school staff, and includes components that will fill existing educator skill-gaps related to identifying students with mental health issues, mental health promotion, and appropriately responding to crises (including de-escalation). State-wide implementation of PFA-S, through replication of an established framework for delivery, will achieve the project goals of (a) organizing educators in local and regional PFA-S teams, (b) training educators in PFA-S, (c) creating systems for educator referral of students with mental health needs (including SMI/SED) to Regional Behavioral Health Authorities, and (d) developing and disseminating resources and strategies to promote the mental health of school communities. Over the course of the project the Nebraska Department of Education (NDE) will train 1,250 Nebraska educators (250 per year) to serve all 244 of Nebraska’s school districts. These goals will be achieved through a partnership between the University of Nebraska Public Policy Center, the Nebraska Department of Education, and Nebraska’s Regional Behavioral Health Authorities.

Community Counseling Centers of Chicago (C4) will provide Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) Training to Chicago communities including training to faith-based organizations, schools, community organizations, community residents, parents/caregivers, and to other social service organizations. C4's program expects to increase mental health literacy among support systems for individuals who work with adults and/or youth in Chicago and to train 1,500 individuals in MHFA over the course of five years. The target geographic catchment areas to be served are the City of Chicago communities, especially high need and underserved areas. The project will link adults and youth with mental health issues to mental, emotional, and behavioral health assistance and services. The project will also increase C4's number of collaborative partnerships with relevant community agencies and programs. The goals of the program will be to: 1) Support Chicago communities by providing training to faith-based organizations, schools, community organizations, community residents, parents/caregivers, and to other social service organizations in Mental Health First Aid, adult and youth version, that includes recognizing the signs and symptoms of mental illness, particularly, serious mental illness (SMI) and/or serious emotional disturbance (SED); and identifying resources available in the community for adults and youth with a mental illness. 2) Identify the intended individuals to receive Mental Health First Aid Training to be trained to recognize the signs and symptoms of mental illness and how to respond appropriately and safely. 3) Establish referral mechanisms that increase the ability of individuals trained in mental health awareness to refer and link adults and youth with a mental illness or SMI/SED to mental health resources and services. Community Counseling Centers of Chicago (C4) builds strength in the community as a leading community mental health agency in Illinois offering a comprehensive range of mental health and crisis intervention services to more than 7,000 children, adults, and families each year. C4 was the first agency in Chicago to have staff trained in 2008. C4 has successfully trained over 3,500 individuals in Mental Health First Aid. Activities include to successfully deliver 12 MHFA training sessions per year (60 sessions over five years) to 1,500 individuals (300 per year) include: certifying eight trainers as MHFA instructors through Mental Health First Aid USA; organizing, scheduling, and delivering MHFA training throughout the City of Chicago, and promoting MHFA training to interested individuals who work directly with youth and their families. MHFA training will be offered in English and Spanish.