Mental Health Summit, Mon July 15, 2013
South Metro Health Alliance (SMHA) and Arapahoe/Douglas Mental Health Network (ADMHN) are convening the communities of Arapahoe and Douglas counties on Monday, July 15, 2013 from 8am to 10am at Swedish Medical Center in Englewood for a Mental Health Summit.
Research has shown that mental health is a top five health care concern for people in Colorado. And the data makes sense. According to a study by the Colorado Health Foundation, Colorado ranks 13th (highest) in the nation for the percentage of adults reporting poor mental health – that is nearly 15 percent of adults reporting poor mental health on eight days or more during any particular month.
At the Summit, a variety of mental health professionals and advocates will be guiding us through an overview of Mental Health First Aid (MHFA), an interactive course that is designed for EVERYONE. The hope and outcome of the Summit will be to have MHFA become as common as CPR and First Aid training during the next decade. Please note, this summit is not the training itself but an overview for the general public to find out how they can get involved.
MHFA training is a groundbreaking education program designed to give members of the public the essential skills to help someone who is developing a mental health problem or experiencing a mental health crisis. It helps those that are trained to identify, understand, and respond to signs of mental illness and substance use disorder. This internationally recognized training introduces participants to risk factors and warning signs of mental health problems, builds understanding of their impact and overviews common treatments.
SMHA is a network of dedicated health care providers and community-based organizations who serve the uninsured and underinsured in Arapahoe and Douglas counties (with the exception of Aurora, CO), with a mission of uniting the community for better access to health care for all. ADMHN provides a wide variety of mental health and substance abuse services, including individual, family, marital and group counseling, therapy, groups, psychiatry, emergency and residential treatment programs.
A hot breakfast will be served. Seating is limited so if you plan to attend please confirm your attendance online at www.southmetrohealthalliance.org, or contact Traci Jones, SMHA Communications Specialist at 303-793-9615, or email tjones@southmetrohealthalliance.org to reserve your place at this important convening.
