Orange County Staff Recognize Mental Health Awareness Month with Mental Health First Aid Training
By: Orange County Human Resources and Orange County Communications
Did you know that CPR didn't become widely available for lay training until the early 1970s? In fact, it wasn't until 1981 that emergency dispatchers in King County, Washington started offering CPR guidance over the phone – just over 40 years ago! Similarly, Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) is still in its early stages of becoming a widely recognized and accepted form of assistance for laypeople dealing with mental health crises. The MHFA concept was first developed in 1997 and has steadily gained global recognition, backed by evidence - based research. By 2023, over 6 million people worldwide had participated in MHFA classes – surpassing the population of Denmark. So, what exactly is MHFA? It's a training program aimed at empowering individuals with the knowledge, skills, and confidence needed to identify, understand, and respond to signs of substance use or mental health challenges and crises in friends, family members, coworkers, or community members. MHFA is particularly valuable as an early intervention tool because these same groups are often the
first to notice changes in emotions and behaviors that could indicate a problem. Equally important is the fact that individuals are more likely to seek help when someone close to them suggests it, potentially reducing the significant delay between the onset of problems and receiving appropriate support and treatment. Orange County has recently made great strides in the field of employee mental health. Examples include the creation of our Wellness Program Manager position and the adoption of our Employee Assistance Program (EAP) benefit through Sentara. However, when it comes to mental health, the journey is as important as the destination, and we are always looking for ways to improve. With that in mind, our Wellness Program Manager recently instructed a MHFA class for our employees, to provide them with the tools to assist both themselves and others. One attendee, Sharon Sparks from our Airport, found great value in the class, and noted “ It ’ s self - help as much as it is being prepared to help others. [The class] emphasizes being a little bit more aware, by noticing differences in behavior and being open to being a friend or sounding board, ” she added. Our Human Resources department is excited to use this first class as a spring board, and to continue to provide our staff with innovative approaches to wellness.
Page 13 | May 2024
Made with FlippingBook Online newsletter