COATESVILLE — The Brandywine Health Foundation and the Coatesville Area School District (CASD) announced Monday that CASD is just one of four Pennsylvania school districts among 119 state and local educational agencies that will be part of a major national initiative to support teachers, schools, and communities in recognizing and responding to mental health concerns among youth through the Mental Health First Aid program (MHFA).
The CASD will receive a $100,000 grant over two years to support the implementation of Youth Mental Health First Aid program (YMHFA), which will enhance private funds that the Brandywine Health Foundation has received to implement the program through 2018.
“This public/private partnership comes at a critical time for our students as we explore a variety of ways to collaborate with our community to improve the learning environment in our schools,” said Cathy Taschner, Superintendent of Schools, CASD. The symptoms of mental illness can be difficult to detect and as a result can create an interruption in the educational progress of students and can create unnecessary delays in treatment. This training is yet another opportunity for our schools and community to form strong partnerships that continue to emphasize the importance of shared responsibility for the well-being of our children.”
The educational agencies – including school districts in 28 different states and departments of education in 20 states – were awarded Project AWARE (Advancing Wellness and Resilience in Education) grants from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to (among other activities) train teachers, school staff, and other community members in the Mental Health First Aid curriculum.
Mental Health First Aid is an 8-hour course that teaches people to identify the signs of mental illnesses and addictions, how to provide initial help, and how to connect individuals in crisis with appropriate care. Since 2008, more than 250,000 individuals in the U.S. have completed the Mental Health First Aid course. Participants who complete the training include school personnel, police officers, faith leaders, health care professionals, and human resources managers.
The grant awardees were announced as part of $99 million total grants from HHS, which also included funding to train new mental health providers and to increase access to mental health services for young people. All funds were included in the President and Vice President’s Now Is the Time plan to reduce gun violence, increase access to mental health services, and make schools safer.
And the program is already having an impact in the community.
“Last month we launched the program here in Coatesville with the support of the Chester County Dept. of Mental Health, the funding leadership of the Scattergood Foundation, and in collaboration with Child Guidance Resource Centers, Human Services Inc. and Gaudenzia,” said Frances M. Sheehan, President and CEO of the Brandywine Health Foundation. “We are particularly pleased that West Chester University’s Health Services Department will be conducting the evaluation of the overall program, which will involve four years of training school district personnel, community members, parents, and first responders. Our hope is that other school districts and communities will jump on board, replicating our efforts, and helping to make MHFA as commonplace for behavioral health as CPR training has become for medical care.”
Last month, with the foundation and county’s support, the CASD held the first YMHFA training for nearly 30 guidance counselors, school nurses and mental health aides. Participants were told that, according to the results of the Pennsylvania Youth Survey (PAYS), which is administered in grades 6, 8, 10, and 12 in school districts across the Commonwealth, CASD adolescents’ and teens’ responses indicate disproportionately high rates of depression compared with students in other districts in Chester County and across the state.
Community trainings will be held later this fall. If interested in learning more about upcoming trainings, please contact Dana Heiman at the Brandywine Health Foundation, 610.380.9080, x102 or dheiman@brandywinefoundation.org.
