Training shines light on mental illness for Armstrong emergency crews

Oct. 07--Armstrong County's first responders and employees in several health-based agencies are getting special training that will help them better handle emergency situations involving people suffering from mental illness.

The county received a $67,000 Justice Assistance Grant through the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency to provide the training. Armstrong County and HAVIN, a nonprofit domestic violence shelter, applied for the grant after reviewing emergency services for mentally ill residents several years ago, said Jo Ellen Bowman, HAVIN's executive director.

"We were looking for areas in the county where we could stand to improve how we help people with mental illness and disabilities," Bowman said. "We decided it'd be best to introduce mental health first aid and crisis intervention programs into the county to reach out to people with depression, anxiety and major mental illnesses like psychosis."

The grant allows county officials to provide first responders with three classes -- mental health first aid, crisis intervention and crisis intervention for veterans ­-- at no cost.

Members of the West Kittanning, Kittanning and East Franklin police departments, the county district attorney and probation offices, the Armstrong County Area Agency on Aging, ARC Manor and HAVIN have taken mental health first aid, the first of three training sessions.

Through the mental health first aid and crisis intervention programs, officials learn to recognize signs of mental illness and where to transfer patients who need help.

"We're not trying to turn our first responders into social workers or therapists," Bowman said. "But we do want them to know how to work with these people and how to best serve them during emergencies."

The program's crisis intervention training for veterans focuses on people dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder and brain injuries. They included the program since the area has a large veteran population, Bowman said.

According to statistics from the United States Dept. of Defense, about 6,100 veterans live in Armstrong County, which represents about 9 percent of its population.

"This training not only assists soldiers coming back from combat, but also victims of sexual assault or any other traumatic event," Bowman said. "There are a lot of people who have post-traumatic stress disorder, and any tool law enforcement can have to help people dealing with this is an absolute win."

Kittanning Police Chief Bruce Mathews said the classes are invaluable, since most first responders are unaware of how mental illness affects patients. The classes give officials insight into how patients may react when dealing with illnesses like schizophrenia, bipolar disorder or depression.

Mathews, who is taking the classes, said he expects the majority of first responders in Armstrong County will take all three by late January.

"It's good to know the cycle of how each disease works because what we may see as someone being rowdy or disobedient may actually be something more," Mathews said. "When we know the signs, we can better help these people."

Brad Pedersen is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. He can be reached at 724-543-1303, ext. 1337, or bpedersen@tribweb.com.

___

(c)2014 The Leader Times (Kittanning, Pa.)

Visit The Leader Times (Kittanning, Pa.) at www.triblive.com

Distributed by MCT Information Services