Mental Health First Aid Training Program
Issue: Building a Healthy & Inclusive Society
Target Level of Office: State
Policy Origin: Nebraska State Legislature
Poilcy/Bill Number: Legislative Bill 901
Link: www.YEONetwork.org/2013policy/?i=224
YEO Sponsor:
Sen. Amanda McGill
Summary Narrative of the Policy: Approved by the Governor in April 2014, this bill enacted
appropriations, revised the duties of the state Behavioral Health Education Center, and adopted
the Nebraska Mental Health First Aid Training Act.
Relevant Talking Points & Important Information:
• According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, one in four adults – approximately
61.5 million Americans – experiences mental illness in a given year. Mental Health First
Aid programs build a public understanding of how mental illness affects the community,
provides an overview of common treatments, and teaches basic de-escalation skills for
providing assistance to a person who may be developing symptoms or experiencing a
crisis.
• The Mental Health First Aid program is an in-person training listed in the Substance
Abuse Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) National Registry of EvidenceBased Programs and Practices (NREPP). The NREPP is a searchable database of mental
health and substance abuse interventions to help the public find programs and practices
that may best meet their needs and learn how to implement them in their communities. In
fact, studies on Mental Health First Aid show that individuals trained in the program grow
their knowledge of signs, symptoms, and risk factors of mental illnesses and additions;
can identify multiple types of professional and self-help resources for individuals with a
mental illness or addition; increase their confidence in and likelihood to help an individual
in distress; and show increased mental wellness themselves.
• This bill puts teeth into Nebraska’s commitment to wellness, mental health, and victory
over mental and substance-use conditions through the development of doctoral-level
psychology internships, targeted rural service incentives, collaborative partnerships
between higher education institutions and community agencies, and the establishment
of a state-wide mental health first aid training program.
• Distance and service community-density are two barriers to general and mental healthcare
access, so programs like the Mental Health First Aid program provide training on essential
triage – like CPR – that saves lives.
Policy
2014 Book
State Level
51