The National Council for Behavioral Health recently announced the addition of Mental Health First Aid to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s National Registry of Evidence-based Programs and Practices (NREPP) by the federal government.

The NREPP is a searchable database of mental health and substance abuse interventions where the public can find programs and practices that may best meet their needs and learn how to implement them in their communities. All interventions in the registry have been independently assessed and rated for quality of research and readiness for dissemination.

Mental Health First Aid USA was adapted from the original program created in Australia in 2001. The program is now used in more than 20 countries and every state in the U.S.
Horizons Mental Health Center in Hutchinson is the only local agency that offers this program to Reno County, as well as Barber, Harper, Kingman and Pratt counties upon request.

Mental Health First Aid-Youth is similar to its predecessor, Mental Health First Aid-Adult, but its purpose is to focus on understanding and responding to mental health challenges and crises in young people ages 11-18.

Read how Mental Health First Aid is changing lives and strengthening the Hutchinson community at Horizons’ website, www.hmhc.com, under the news and events page.

You can also learn more at www.TheNationalCouncil.org.