City of Philadelphia Mental Health First Aid

InitiativeH. Jean Wright II, Psy.D.

Senior Advisor to CommissionerJean.wright@phila.gov

Christina M. Finello, J.D., Ph.D.Philadelphia Dept. of Behavioral Health and Intellectual disAbility Services

cfinello@pmhcc.org

Arthur C. Evans, Ph.D. Commissioner

Overview

•DBHIDS mission •How MHFA fits into the Mayor’s goals for

a Healthy Philadelphia?•What is MHFA?•Philadelphia’s MHFA Initiative

▫What’s the plan?▫How is it going?

•Next steps + Summary

What is DBHIDS?

DBHIDS supports people in an environment of recovery, with a focus on prevention, resilience, wellness and self-determination in order to attain the highest quality of life possible. Responsible for administering a broad array of treatment, intervention and prevention programs for:

Children, adults, and families impacted by mental health, substance use and intellectual disabilities

More than 120,000 people are served each year through a $1 billion annual budgetNetwork of over 200 providers offering full continuum of servicesSingle payer for Medicaid, Federal, State and Local Grant dollars (Medicaid managed by City)

Office of Mental Health

Office of Addiction Services

BEHAVIORAL HEALTH SYSTEM

Community Behavioral Health

Office of Mental Health

Office of Addiction Services

IDS SYSTEM

Community Behavioral Health

Intellectual disAbility Services

Mayor Nutter’s Goals for the City of Philadelphia

Philadelphia becomes one the safest cities in America. The individual well-being of Philadelphians improves. Philadelphia is a place of choice. Philadelphia becomes the greenest and most sustainable city in

America. Philadelphia government works efficiently and effectively, with

integrity and responsiveness.

Our Population/Public Health Approach

to Improving Health Philadelphia’s Behavioral Health Services

Transformation Vision of Recovery, Resilience, & Self-

Determination Focus on:

1) Public Education and Training Partnerships with the general public, faith community,

indigenous community leaders, and city agencies 2) Early Intervention

Partnerships with first responders trained in Crisis Intervention, Community Response Teams, etc.

3) Effective, Specialized Treatment Community-based network of care providers

6

7

Fiscal & Administrativ

e Policy & Procedure Alignment

Four Building Blocks of a Recovery & Resilience-

Oriented System

Our Population-Based, City Wide Approach

to Mental Health First Aid

Train representatives from as many community and public safety organizations as possible as MHFA Instructors Emphasis on collaborative course instruction

Train as many Philadelphians as possible to be Mental Health First Aiders Public and private sector

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What Is Mental Health First Aid?The help provided to a person developing a mental health problem or experiencing a crisis until professional treatment is received or the crisis resolves.

Spectrum of Mental Health Interventions

13

Overview of training

•Overview of mental health problems▫Depressive/Mood disorders▫Anxiety disorders▫Disorders in which psychosis occurs▫Substance use disorders▫Eating disorders

•Mental Health First Aid for crisis situations•Mental Health First Aid for non-crisis

situations

What is covered…

•5 step MHFA Action Plan•How to show respectful concern and how

to offer assistance•Role of First Aiders•When to call for emergency help•Sources of appropriate professional help

and self-help strategies

MHFA Versions

•General 12-hour MHFA curriculum•8 hour Public Safety Pilot curriculum

▫Public Safety version does not include Eating Disorders but does include some specific info related to state and local regulations and the relative roles of first responders and First Aiders

•Youth MHFA is in development but not yet available in Philadelphia

Goals

Reduce stigma

Increase mental health awareness

Strengthen community and cross-system capacity

Support recovery and resilience

Increase early intervention and access to behavioral health services

Potential Audiences▫Hospitals and health centers▫Law enforcement/first responders/Criminal

Justice▫Employers▫Faith communities▫Schools/universities▫Nursing home staff▫Individuals who have experienced

behavioral health challenges▫Family members▫Service providers and support staff▫Neighborhood organizations▫Concerned citizens

MHFA Strategy

*MHFA Certification lasts for 3 years.

Instructors required to

teach at least 3 courses per year

Public Safety& Community

MHFA Instructors

Our Process --- Year 1 of 3 Years

Public-Safety MHFA Community

MHFACriminal Justice Advisory Board

Meetings

Jan. 26 Kick-Off & OrientationMeeting with City

Leadership

Jan. 27 8-hour Public Safety MHFA Demo

5-day Public Safety MHFA Train the Instructor (Feb)

Two 5-day Community MHFA Train the Instructor (March, May)

Promoting Our MHFA Efforts

Kick-off for Philadelphia’s MHFA Initiative Meeting with city leadership including Mayor Michael Nutter Orientation for a larger audience, open to the public – 300+

attended Demonstration of 8-hour Public Safety Mental Health First Aid

course On-line promotion:

http://www.dbhids.org/dbhids-launches-mental-health-first-aid and http://www.facebook.com/DBHIDS

PublicityOur initiative has been covered by the following news outlets:

–The Inquirer, 1/27/12–CBS Philly, 1/28/12

–Examiner, 1/26/12

–The Philadelphia Tribune, 1/27/12

–WHYY News, 1/26/12

Interest expressed in MHFA

72% would like to attend a MHFA 12-hour training

14% would like to attend an 8-hour MHFA public safety-oriented training

56% expressed interest in becoming an instructor

61% want to be put on email list to be notified of upcoming trainings

*166 responses to our internet survey since the Kickoff

Respondents were from the following groups (could select more

than one group):

Human Services (45%)

Public Safety (10%)

Medical/Health Care (40%)

Culture/Ethnicity-based

Orgs (12%)

Faith-based Communities

(27%)

Courts/Legal (8%)

Youth Services (15%)

LGBT Community (9%)

Neighborhood Organizations

(18%)

Business (3%)

Educational System (20%)

Others: Parks & Rec., Unions, Public Works, Employment &

Housing Services

Public Safety Pilot – MHFA Train the Instructor

Public Safety Pilot – MHFA Train the Instructor Course

Representatives from the following organizations trained in February 2012:

Adult Probation & Parole Dept. (2)

Probation/Parole Officers Family Training & Advocacy Center (1)

Director of Training

Behavioral Health Training & Education Network (2)

Projects Coord.; Behavioral Health Training Specialist

First Judicial District Court (3)

Project Dawn Coord.; Philadelphia Treatment Court Coord.; Pretrial Services

Certified Forensic Peer Specialists (2)

Mayor’s Office of Re-Integration Services for Ex-Offenders (2)

Training Administrator; Manager of Re-Integration Services for Ex-Offenders

Court of Common Pleas, Trial Div. (1)

Mental Health Court Coord.

Philadelphia Fire Dept. (2)

Lieutenant; Firefighter

Dept. of Behavioral Health and Intellectual disAbility Services (6)

Policy & Criminal Court Coord.; Post-Arrest Crisis Specialist; Senior Consultant for Forensic Services; Senior Advisor & Criminal Justice Coord.; Veterans Jail Diversion Coord.; CIT Coord.

Philadelphia Police Dept. (3)

Philadelphia Prison System (1)

Sergeant; Police Officer; Police Officer

Psychologist

Defender’s Assoc. (2)

Social Service Advocates Public Health Management Corp. (1)

Director of Case Management & Program Standards

District Atty’s Office (1)

Asst. District Atty Sheriff’s Office (1) Deputy Sheriff/Inspector

How is it going so far?• 1st year = 31 in Public Safety pilot **6 dually certified

Instructors work in teams• About ½ of Instructors currently active. Obstacles

include:▫ Organizational buy-in and support for training activity▫ Scheduling and availability issues for Instructors and trainees

• 15 Public Safety trainings have been delivered• 220 First Aiders in Public Safety pilot have received

training

Classes

•Class size: Range 6-30 people•Trainees include:

▫New police recruits▫Forensic Services case managers and evaluators▫Probation and Parole staff and supervisors▫Pretrial Services intake interviewers▫Staff from Mayor's Office of Reintegration

Services for Ex-offenders (RISE)▫Public Defender legal staff and social services

advocates

Next Steps

•DBHIDS is working with the Scattergood Foundation to explore ways to support and expand MHFA in Philadelphia

•Continue to provide Public Safety training•Continue to train city/agency staff•Outreach to public and private entities with

public safety component

Summary MHFA is a main pillar of our overall approach to promoting

individual and community wellness and cross-system collaboration

Will include a systematic evaluation of impact

Will continue to promote public education and early intervention through additional efforts, including widespread on-line and in-person mental health screening

For more information about MHFA trainings in Philadelphia, contact Karen Escovitz, Project Coordinator, at

kescovitz@pmhcc.org Go to www.dbhids.org

For more information about MHFA in general, Go to www.mentalhealthfirstaid.org