On Tuesday, Cort Frohlich of Frohlich, Gordon & Beason, Attorneys at Law presented Charlotte Behavioral Health Care with a check for $1,000 to help fund the Mental Health First Aid program that CBHC will be sending individuals to.
CBHC is proud to be one of the first providers of Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) training in our Charlotte County community. This is the beginning of a training program that will help prevent mental illness stigma by training people in the public sector to help in a mental health crisis.
The objective of the Mental Health First Aid program is to create an environment where people in our community know how to help someone in an emergency mental health crisis. Mental Health First Aid helps people identify, understand, and respond to individuals experiencing signs or symptoms of a mental illness or substance abuse disorder. While many Americans are trained in physical first aid and CPR to respond to medical emergencies, very few are prepared to help others in a mental health crisis. This program is based on the concept of traditional first aid, only now, covering mental health and substance abuse crises. The individuals who take the course will learn how to identify risk factors, warning signs and how to provide initial aid before guiding the person to professional help. These trainers will learn how to apply a strategy to help someone through a panic attack, support a person experiencing psychosis, engage with someone who may be suicidal, and help an individual who has overdosed.
Once the individuals are trained in the Mental Health First Aid program, they will come back to Charlotte County and train people in our area. Recommended people to receive this training include schools, teachers, nurses, public workers, business leaders, law enforcement and faith based communities.
Since mental health illness affects one in four adults in the United State, someone in our community is more likely to see another person suffering from a panic attack than witness someone having a heart attack. A mental illness is that common.
As an agency family, Charlotte Behavioral Health Care is compassionate about implementing positive changes and assisting our neighbors to strengthen our community. The general lack of understanding in today’s society promotes negative stereotypes and hinders people from seeking professional help. The partnership between CBHC and the Mental Health First Aid program is a large step towards preventing these negative stereotypes and helping people understand there is attainable professional help.
This is a generous donation from Frohlich, Gordon & Beason, P.A. and we thank Cort and his law firm for one more of their many efforts to help Charlotte Behavioral Health Care. It’s because of businesses like Frohlich, Gordon and Beason that we can better serve the ones in need.