WASHINGTON, D.C.– Today, Congresswoman Lynn Jenkins (R-KS) and Congresswoman Doris Matsui (D-CA) hosted a Mental Health First Aid briefing as part of Mental Health Awareness Month.

“Mental Health First Aid training is an early-detection training program that is critical to removing the stigma of mental health treatment and helping those that are struggling from mental illness,” said Congresswoman Jenkins. “Eastern Kansas has been a leader in mental health issues for years with great institutions like the Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center in Lawrence, the Clinical Child Psychology Program at the University of Kansas, and the Family Service and Guidance Center in Topeka. It is vital we share these important educational tools with Members of Congress and their staff so we continue to raise awareness for Mental Health First Aid and gain support for the Mental Health First Aid Act.”

David Johnson, CEO of Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center in Lawrence, Kansas, was unable to attend the briefing today but submitted a written testimony (attached) and here is an excerpt:

“In any given year, only 20 percent of children with mental disorders are identified and receive mental health services. Now imagine that anyone who was developing a mental health problem or was in crisis would have a family member, a co-worker or teacher, or even a total stranger that could recognize the problem, knew how to approach the individual, and knew how to access the services they needed. A KU professor has talked about how he was trained years ago in CPR but has never encountered someone having a heart attack. While he has put his knowledge to work with students who are binge drinking, he wonders what a difference he might have made with his daughter’s eating disorder or his father-in-laws suicide if this training had been available 30 years earlier… My message is the only people who don’t need Mental Health First Aid training are people who don’t have to deal with other people.”

The briefing was sponsored by the National Council for Behavioral Health and included panelist Laira Roth, the Mental Health First Aid Project Manager from the National Council for Behavioral Health and Jamie McDonald, the Wellness, Health Promotion & Prevention Manager of the Fairfax County Community Service Board.

In April, Congresswoman Jenkins and Congresswoman Matsui introduced H.R. 1877, the Mental Health First Aid Act to expand Mental Health First Aid training and help the public identify, understand, and respond to mental health issues and disorders.

Congresswoman Jenkinsfirst started working on mental health initiatives nearly a decade ago through her involvement with the Family Service and Guidance Center and the National Council for Community Behavioral Healthcare. Last November, Congresswoman Jenkins hosted the first-ever Mental Health First Aid training for veterans in Kansas with the KU Collegiate Veterans Association, KU Counseling and Psychological Services, the KU Graduate Military Programs, and the National Council on Behavioral Health.

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