Jan. 15--Professionals who care for people are invited to Mental Health First Aid, a two-day workshop designed to help them respond to a mental health crisis if it occurs on their watch.

This workshop scheduled for Jan. 20-21 will be held at the Fort Morgan Elks Club, and costs $50 person, or $40 per person for groups of five or more.

Content in the workshop will be helpful to people working in schools, nursing homes, hospitals, social services, churches and law enforcement, said Paula La Porte of Morgan County's Centennial Mental Health Center.

The workshop was created to help people better understand mental illness and respond to psychiatric emergencies, she said.

Similar to first aid and CPR, mental health first aid is designed to help people who are developing a mental health problem or experiencing a crisis until professional treatment is available. It also helps those who are involved connect the people who need care with professionals.

Studies have shown that the program improves people's mental health, increases understanding of mental health and its issues, connects more people with care and reduces the stigma associated with mental health problems.

Trainees will learn to assess a situation, select and implement interventions and secure care for the person who needs it.

Mental Health First Aid was created in Australia in 2001, spread to other countries and was brought to the U.S. in 2008 by the National Council for Community Behavioral Healthcare. The idea is to make this kind of first aid as common as traditional first aid.

Contact Cindy at Centennial Mental Health Center for more information or to make a reservation at 303-646-4519 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

-- Contact Dan Barker at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

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