HB 355: "An Act establishing in the Department of Health and Social Services a first aid training program for mental health interventions."
00 HOUSE BILL NO. 355 01 "An Act establishing in the Department of Health and Social Services a first aid training 02 program for mental health interventions." 03 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA: 04 * Section 1. AS 47.30 is amended by adding a new section to read: 05 Sec. 47.30.595. Mental health first aid training. (a) The department shall 06 establish a program to provide mental health first aid training to mental health service 07 providers and to residents of the state to assist in the identification of a mental health 08 or substance abuse disorder in persons who are less than 18 years of age and to 09 provide instruction in effective intervention strategies to prevent or to deescalate a 10 mental health or substance abuse crisis. The department may contract with experts to 11 provide the training or to develop training materials. 12 (b) The training program established under this section shall be provided 13 periodically in all regions of the state either in person or by electronic means. The 14 department may charge a reasonable training fee to cover the costs of the program and
01 materials. 02 (c) A person may receive a waiver of a training fee by applying for a waiver 03 on a form approved by the department. Waiver of the fee is subject to the availability 04 of other funding sources sufficient to support the training.