CA Legislators Need to Step Up to the Plate to Support Mental Health First Aid
California legislators needs to step up to the plate by initiating executive actions related to support Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) activities. According to the recently published National Council State Policy Toolkit, in the 2013-2014 legislative session 21 states passed legislation related to MHFA. As I went through the list, I noticed that Calfornia was not there!
Here in San Mateo County, we are grateful to have Measure A funds that allow us to provide Youth-MHFA classes to every school in our county (all 158 of them). So far we’ve offered 20 classes and trained 369 individuals since October 2013. Initial data from participants’ responses indicate an increase in their level of confidence recognizing mental health symptoms and reaching out to someone who might be experiencing an emotional crisis. Imagine learning all of these things in only 8 hours?
So, what are you waiting for? If you are an elected official, show your support by sponsoring a MHFA-related legislation. Or sign up for a class at to learn what MHFA is all about. Better yet, do both.