National Council Partnership to Deliver Mental Health First Aid to Nation’s County Employees

This month, the National Council for Mental Wellbeing and the National Association of Counties announced a partnership to make Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) training available to county employees nationwide.

MHFA at Work is a program that teaches trainees to identify, understand, and respond to mental health and substance challenges. The program will help county employees assist in crisis situations or until professional treatment is obtained.

“NACo’s expansive reach paired with the National Council’s evidence-based Mental Health First Aid trainings will increase access to critical mental health and substance use education and treatment in all corners of the nation,” National Council President and CEO Chuck Ingoglia said in a news release. “So many people are struggling right now, and we have the ability to ensure mental wellbeing and recovery is a reality for everyone, starting with the backbone of local government and programming—county employees.” 

MHFA at Work aims to improve early recognition of mental health and substance use issues and encourage help-seeking, enhancing the use of timely, appropriate support. Overall, the MHFA program has trained more than 2.6 million individuals to identify the signs and symptoms of mental health and substance use challenges.

The National Association of Counties includes nearly 40,000 elected county officials and 3.6 million county employees.

Reference

National Council for Mental Wellbeing partners with National Association of Counties to deliver mental health first aid training to county workforce. News release. National Council for Mental Wellbeing. June 1, 2022. Accessed June 15, 2022.