The University of Southern Indiana Geriatrics Workforce Enhancement Program (GWEP) is offering a free Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) certification training designed for health professionals and community members who work with older adults. The course will be held from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday, November 29 at the Welborn Baptist Foundation, 20 NW 3rd Street in Evansville.Â
MHFA is administered by the National Council for Mental Wellbeing and teaches how to identify, understand, and respond to signs of mental illnesses and substance use disorders. This training will have an emphasis on people age 50 and older and will be taught by Kerseclia L. Patterson, Academic Outreach Coordinator of Southwest Indiana Area Health Education Center (AHEC), and Susie Schenk, a licensed mental health and addictions counselor.Â
Participants in the MHFA training will earn a three-year national certification and can earn up to eight contact hours through the USI Center for Health Professions Lifelong Learning.Â
The training marks the return of the Blues Café series, which Southwest Indiana AHEC launched in 2017 to offer health professionals, students, and community members tools and resources to help cope with depression, stress and anxiety during the holiday months.Â
Registration is required and seating is limited to 30 participants. To register, visit USI.edu/gwep/mhfa.Â
This project is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of an award totaling $3,691,706 with zero percentage financed with nongovernmental sources. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by HRSA, HHS or the U.S. Government.Â
Southwest Indiana AHEC began as a regional center in 2008 and is hosted by the University of Southern Indiana in the College of Nursing and Health Professions.Â
