How many of you have signed up for a first-aid course? My guess is many of us in the community have completed a first-aid class with the desire to be able to assist someone in crisis along the road or perhaps up in the high country.
In a first-aid class, we learn how to perform the Heimlich maneuver as our spouse is choking on the bones of that yummy trout we just roasted over the campfire, or maybe it’s splinting that sprained ankle as we are bouldering around the campsite pretending to be Sir Edmund Hillary. Regardless of the reason, it’s safe to say, as a community, we all want to be able to assist our fellow human beings when a crisis situation occurs.
In recent years, behavioral-health challenges have become pervasive in Colorado as well as across the United States. Studies estimate, in any given year, one out of every four adults has struggled with a behavioral-health problem at some point in their lives, while one out of every five of our youths has experienced a significant impact in their life because of a behavioral-health challenge. To put these figures in perspective, that’s more people than those affected by heart disease, lung disease and cancer combined. Behavioral-health problems range from mild to severe, but when they go untreated, as with any health-care issue, the harm can grow into a crisis situation.
Now, it may be easy to tell when someone is having a heart attack, choking or can’t breathe. But how do we help a loved one who is so depressed he or she can’t get out of bed in the morning, or children who are so panic-stricken about a school presentation that they beg us to let them stay home? What do you say to someone who has told you he or she is thinking about suicide? You want to help, but you don’t know how. It’s like sitting across the table from someone choking. If you don’t know the Heimlich maneuver, all you can do is watch.
Mental Health First Aid training will teach you to take action, giving you the power to help someone in need.
Mental Health First Aid is an eight-hour, interactive course that trains members of the community to assist someone experiencing a behavioral-health crisis, such as contemplating suicide. Participants will learn a single five-step strategy that includes assessing risk, respectfully listening to and supporting the individual in crisis and identifying appropriate professional help and other supports in his or her community. Participants will also be introduced to risk factors and warning signs for behavioral-health issues that include mental-health and substance-use problems, allowing participants to build a better understanding of the impact of illness on individuals and families. This training is especially useful in our rural communities, where access to mental-health services may be limited.
Anyone can attend an MHFA class, and its techniques can be used with friends and family, just as with acquaintances or strangers. To date, more than 120,000 people nationwide have received training, according to the National Council for Behavioral Health.
Axis Health System continues to believe in the benefits of MHFA to treat the whole person – mind-body-soul – and will be facilitating a class in Durango on June 11 at the Crossroads Center, 1125 Three Springs Blvd. We are excited to offer this class to the community free of charge, which includes a three-year certification certificate and manual.
Capacity is limited, so to register, go to www.mhfaco.org/find-a-class. Locate the Durango 06-11-2014 class and follow the Invitee Information. For more information or to schedule training at your agency, please contact me, and I will work with you to meet your training needs.
Liza Fischer - Clinical Project Coordinator for Axis Health System. She can be reached at (970) 335-2206 or lfischer@axishealthsystem.org.
