1. Mental Health First Aid
This presentation will focus on the efforts of a multiyear, county wide, large scale initiative implemented by the King County Behavioral Health and Recovery Division and Valley Cities Counseling to institutionalize and broadly disseminate Mental Health First Aid throughout King County, WA. Successes and challenges experienced so far will be shared as well as the evidence behind the program that demonstrates it builds mental health literacy, reduces stigma associated with behavioral health, and helps the public identify, understand, and respond to signs of mental illness thereby reducing unnecessary law enforcement crisis response.
King County Behavioral Health and Recovery
Valley Cities Counseling

2. Mental Health First Aid
Objectives:
~ What is MHFA?
~ What are the benefits of MHFA?
~ Be able to explain how MHFA is an evidence-based prevention and intervention tool that can reduce crisis response.
SHERRY
Participants will be able to describe Mental Health First Aid.
Participants will be able to demonstrate the benefits of Mental Health First Aid.
Participants will be able to explain how Mental Health First Aid is an evidence-based prevention and intervention tool that can reduce crisis response.

3. skills to help someone What is MHFA?
8-hour course that gives people the
skills to help someone
who is developing a mental health problem
or experiencing a mental health crisis
SHERRY

4. SHERRY

5. ALGEE - 5 Step Action Plan
Assess
Listen
Give information
Encourage professional help
Encourage support
SUE
Overview of training:
Signs and symptoms
Risk factors and warning signs
Impact of behavioral health problems
Appropriate supports
Many adult learning strategies are used to help with retention of information.
ALGEE:
Access for risk of suicide or harm
Listen non judgmentally
Give reassurance or information
Encourage appropriate professional help
Encourage self help and other support strategies.
Studies have shown that participant’s own mental health is strengthened by taking this training.

6. * $134 million per two-year biennium.
* Specifically for programs and services for people living with or at risk of behavioral health conditions
* 1 of 53 initiatives
SHERRY
*MHFA is funded by a one tenth of one percent local behavioral health sales tax called the Mental Illness and Drug Dependency fund. It began in 2008 when it was approved by the King County Council as a way to augment state funding for BH services and therapeutic courts.  
*MIDD generates approximately 134 million per biennium. 
*By law it can only be used for new and expanded programs and services so it may not be used to supplant existing services.  
*KC is one of 23 counties and 1 city that offers a BH sales tax option.  
*We are currently in the second iteration of MIDD called MIDD 2 which began in 2017 and runs through 2025.  
*MHFA is one of 53 initiatives funded in MIDD 2.  

7. 1: 5 Universal Early Intervention Why Mental Health First Aid?
Stigma buster
Early Intervention
It works!
*The prevalence of BH disorders which includes MH and SUD is fairly high with about 1 in 5 people experiencing a disorder at some point in their lifetime.  
*MHFA is a broad stroke initiative meaning that all individuals that make up the fabric of a community can learn and benefit from MHFA. 
*It's an EBP so we know that it works for the majority of the population.  
*Research has shown that stigma is a primary reason why people don't access services. One of the main objectives of MHFA is to reduce stigma. The more information you know about a topic the more comfortable and normal it becomes.  
*And it's an early intervention program. Recognizing that prevention and early intervention are key factors for healthy communities the County is focusing more of its resources upstream. 

8. King County/Valley Cities Counseling Partnership
MIDD initiative managed by King County Behavioral Health and Recovery Division
Valley Cities Counseling
Behavioral health non-profit with a 50 year history
1st MHFA trainer on the West Coast
MHFA Coordinator, March 2018
MHFA instructor for four years
*The MIDD initiative is managed by BHRD but the coordination work was outsourced to a community provider.  
*We released an RFP in early 2018 where VCCC was selected as the MHFA Coordinator entity.  
*Reasons VCCC was selected is because of their extensive 50 year history providing BH services throughout KC.  
Valley Cities was a demonstrated champion in MHFA providing the very first MHFA trainer on the west coast.  
Sue Wyder is our acting Coordinator brings a wealth of knowledge and experience being an trainer herself for the last five years.  

9. 1,874 Trainings have occurred in 41% of the County.
People trained so far from March 2018 – June 2019 (15 month period)
Majority are white females between the ages of
Regular YMHFA trainings at Seattle Childrens (change in ED policy)
Regular AMHFA trainings at Highline College, quarterly including Narcan for participants who work in high risk areas (security guards, law enforcement, private security, healthcare, libraries, Sound Transit).
Port Authority
Recovery Schools
Seattle Public School District
Bellevue School District
Who else??

10. Between 91% and 94% of clients indicated that they agreed or strongly agreed with each statement. The results are shown below in Figure 5. Of the four statements, the statement about being aware of one’s own views and feelings had the largest percent of respondents saying they strongly agree, indicating that the training seems highly effective at reducing stigma.

11. Longitudinal Research
in confidence and likelihood to perform the Mental Health First Aid action plan at three and six months post-training.
in referrals and assessing suicidality and safety at three and six months post-training.
Those with
minimal or no past mental health training
gained the most knowledge.
Conducted by the NCBH.
Successful in increased chances of early intervention
Stigma Busting!

12. What’s next?
Funded through 2025, Goal is to train 2,000 people per year
Continue to build partnerships
Grow the trainer pool
Translate in other languages
Working on getting it in the schools!
5 years X
2000 people/per year =
10,000 people!
MIDD is funded through 2025
Continue to build partnerships throughout the KC region and encourage organizations to select potential trainers to support sustainability
Only available in English & Spanish. Working with the Council to translate it into more languages so that we can expand to all communities in the County.
Getting school personnel trained has been difficult due to labor agreements and other barriers. TMHFA coming 2020.