Two members affiliated with the Monadnock System of Care approached the select board on Tuesday to encourage town employees to attend a youth mental health first aid training course that will be offered later this month.
“These courses can help reduce the stigma many mental-health issues carry,” Dennis Calcutt, project manager for the Monadnock System of Care grant, told board members.
A recent survey showed people in the region have only a “vague awareness” of mental health issues.
To help improve the situation, community members from all walks of life were able to attend a three-day training course presented by Mental Health First Aid USA at Keene State College this past September. The training was funded through a Project AWARE grant, which is aimed at improving behavioral health awareness among school-age youth and their communities.
Those who obtained the certification can now teach an 8-hour course to disseminate the information with a goal of reducing stigmas and teaching others how to detect mental-health issue warning signs.
Two trainings have been scheduled in January. The first will be held the Avenue A Teen & Community Center on Jan. 27 from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. The second will be held at the Monadnock Community Hospital on Jan. 28 from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
People interested in attending the training can contact Michele Babineau, parent representative for the Monadnock Region System of Care. She can be reached at: babineaumichelea@gmail.com
Select board members continued to hammer out logistics of proposed budgets throughout the meeting. The board will meet again on Tuesday Dec. 13 at 5:30 p.m.
Abby Kessler can be reached at akessler@ledgertranscript.com