July 12, 2018
The Eastern Oregon Healthy Living Alliance (EOHLA),~in coordination with InterMountain Education Service District and Greater Oregon Behavioral Health Inc. (GOBHI), is providing Youth Mental Health First Aid (YMHFA) trainings to teachers and support staff in northeast Oregon. YMHFA is a national program that is designed to give school staff the proper tools to interact with students that may be experiencing mental health or substance use problems. There are currently five training dates scheduled in partnership with the IMESD:
- July 18, 2018 – La Grande, OR
- July 19, 2018 – Pendleton, OR
- August 13, 2018 – Boardman, OR
- August 14, 2018 – La Grande, OR
- August 16, 2018 – Pendleton, OR
Suicide is now the second leading cause of death for adolescents aged 15-19 and half of all mental health problems begin by age 14. In the recent 2017 Healthy Teens Survey conducted by the Oregon Health Authority 25.4% of 8th graders and 32.5% of 11th graders in Umatilla County reported that during the past 12 months they felt so sad or hopeless almost every day for two weeks or more in a row that they stopped doing some usual activities. Additionally, mental health is a regional health priority, because large percentages of eastern Oregonians self report depression or other mental health symptoms; however, they fail to seek the appropriate care. Early detection and treatment of mental health and substance use problems is crucial for adolescents and can affect not only emotional wellness, but also their academic success.
Eastern Oregon Healthy Living Alliance Executive Director, John Adams, understands the impact of mental health on students and the importance of the training. “I know first-hand how mental health can impact a student. I experienced depression and anxiety as a college student, and, ten years later, my brother committed suicide at the same age. For years I was afraid and ashamed to talk about these experiences until I became trained in Mental Health First Aid. This training works because it helps to reduce stigma, and it gives folks information and tools to talk about difficult mental health situations and experiences with others. We can only help people when we feel comfortable enough to reach out to others, and that’s why I’m so passionate about the trainings,” says Adams.
For more information, or to participate in Mental Health First Aid training in Umatilla County, contact Executive Director John Adams at [email protected], 541-219-0907, Program Coordinator Alanna Chamulak at [email protected], 541-219-2397 or GOBHI Regional Coordinator Erin Rust at [email protected], (541) 298-2101.
Funding for the project is provided in part by The Ford Family Foundation and The Collins Foundation.
To learn more about Mental Health First Aid USA, visit www.mentalhealthfirstaid.org.
