Mental Health First Aid Day

Arkansas State Senator Uvalde Lindsey will serve as Mental Wellness Ambassador of Mental Health First Aid Day at the Jones Center for Families on Wednesday, May 21st hosted by Ozark Guidance.  The goal of the event is to train 100 people in Northwest Arkansas in Mental Health First Aid in one day.  May is Mental Health Month and Ozark Guidance is hosting this community wide education initiative to break down the stigma often associated with mental illness.
Mental Health First Aid is a national 8 hour certification program designed to help communities and individuals better understand mental illness and the recovery process.  It teaches individuals how to respond to a person developing a mental health problem.    There will be four classes:

• We will have 3 MHFA- Adult Classes.  This program is geared towards anyone in the community over the age of 18 including: retail professionals, primary care professionals, law enforcement professionals, human resource professionals, social service professionals, customer service professionals, ministry professionals, government and city professionals and fire department professionals.

• We will have 1 MHFA- Youth Class:  This program is designed for professionals that work in secondary schools, universities or colleges. 

Instructors from three states are helping with the event.   Harps Food is the main event sponsor and Mental Health Month Sponsor.  Other sponsors include: Walker Brothers Insurance, Schmieding Foundation, NAMI, Springwoods Behavioral Health, Vantage Point and an anonymous donor.  
• There is a $50 registration fee for the class that covers the cost of materials. 

According to the U.S. Surgeon General, 1 out of 4 adults and 1 out of 5 children will suffer a mental health challenge this year.    Since 1970 Ozark Guidance has been saving and changing lives by providing compassionate, quality mental health services to all of Northwest Arkansas.  Ozark Guidance is a local non-profit community mental health center that serves over 14,000 residents including 4,800 children each year. Comprehensive mental health services are available for adults and children at clinics located in Bentonville, Berryville, Huntsville, Fayetteville, Rogers, Springdale and Siloam Springs.    For more information or to sign up, visit our website at ozarkguidance.org or call Staci Clinkscales @ 479-695-1240.