Mental Health First Aid Act of 2016 2016-09-26 Passed House amended Mental Health First Aid Act of 2016

This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to revise and extend through FY2021 training grants for mental health awareness. The bill makes additional categories of individuals eligible to be trained to identify and respond to individuals with a mental illness. Programs funded by these grants must provide education on: (1) recognizing the signs and symptoms of mental illness, and (2) either the availability of relevant resources or safe de-escalation of crisis situations involving individuals with a mental illness.

]]> 2015-04-16 Introduced in House Mental Health First Aid Act of 2015

Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) to award grants to initiate and sustain mental health first aid training programs. Requires such a program to include training on: (1) the skills, resources, and knowledge necessary to assist individuals in crisis to connect with appropriate local mental health care services; (2) mental health resources, including the location of community mental health centers; and (3) protocols for referral to mental health resources.

Sets forth the categories of individuals to be trained under the program, including first responders, law enforcement personnel, teachers and school administrators, human resources professionals, faith community leaders, nurses and other primary care personnel, students enrolled in school, parents of students, and veterans.

Requires such programs to train individuals to accomplish safe de-escalation of crisis situations, recognition of the signs and symptoms of mental illness, and timely referral to mental health services in the early stages of developing mental disorders.

Requires SAMHSA to ensure that grants are equitably distributed geographically, and to pay particular attention to the mental health training needs of rural areas.

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