Transitions-Mental Health Association has received a $5,000 grant from the San Luis Obispo County Community Foundation. This grant will be used to introduce and establish Mental Health First Aid Training in San Luis Obispo County.

The training is a groundbreaking education program that helps the public identify, understand, and respond to signs of mental illnesses and substance use disorders.  It is an effective, proven model for Identification and First Response, and like CPR or basic First Aid, it is a critical skill worth disseminating throughout the county of San Luis Obispo.

"TMHA will use grant funds to send at least two of our current Education & Outreach Staff to receive training and become certified instructors,” said Barry Johnson, division director – Rehabilitation and Advocacy Programs for the association. “These individuals would subsequently provide free trainings throughout San Luis Obispo County for health and human service providers, government agencies, private businesses, and special interest groups. The grant will also cover the cost to create materials that will be part of the no-cost local trainings we will offer.”

A campaign of Mental Health First-Aid Training is a practical, cost-effective way of widening the mental health safety net throughout the county.

The association was chosen to receive this grant and is among 13 recipients, whose grants total $60,000.

This year's grant-making program is made possible through the generous support of the Foundation's Community Endowment and many donor funds held at the Foundation. In only 12 years, the SLOCCF has given out more than $16 million in grants to assist nonprofit agencies. For more information on the SLOCCF or any funds, call 543-2323 or log onto www.sloccf.org.

ABOUT TMHA
Transitions-Mental Health Association is a non-profit organization that helps children and adults live, work and grow in our community. TMHA operates 27 programs at over 35 locations that reach over 2,000 people and 1,500 families in San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties. The emphasis of TMHA's many services is to teach vital independent living skills, and build a framework for community re-entry through personal empowerment and hands on experience. For over 30 years, TMHA has been dedicated to providing housing, employment, case management and life-skills support to teens and adults with mental illness; and support, resources and education for their loved ones. For more information, visit www.T-MHA.org.

ABOUT MENTAL HEALTH FIRST AID
For more about Mental Health First Aid visit http://www.mentalhealthfirstaid.org/cs/program_overview/.

For information about Mental Health First Aid and its application to the workplace check out this link to NPR’s "Talk of the Nation." http://www.npr.org/2011/10/18/141473382/a-first-aid-kit-for-mental-health-emergencies