Local emergency responders take mental health course

The Mental Health Association of South Mississippi hosted an emergency responders mental health training course on the Gulf Park campus in Long Beach.

This one-day course is a trusted, evidence based, and early-intervention training program that emergency responders use to help increase their confidence and comfort level in dealing with people with mental illness or who are mentally distressed and learn the skills to address a person’s mental health or substance use on the scene of an emergency.

During the course, emergency responders took part in different activities to help them not only learn, but also engage in the class. Guest Facilitator Wade Johnson said, “This training has worked out really well for our first responders simply because we teach them how to assess a situation as they go into it, how to keep everybody safe, and also how to de-escalate someone who may be in a mental heath crisis and then refer them or have them taken to different mental health resources that are available to them.”

After completing the course, emergency responders will receive a certification.