Legislature(2013 - 2014)CAPITOL 106
03/27/2014 03:00 PM House HEALTH & SOCIAL SERVICES
Audio | Topic |
---|---|
Start | |
SB169 | |
HB319 | |
HB355 | |
Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
*+ | HB 347 | TELECONFERENCED | |
*+ | HB 355 | TELECONFERENCED | |
+ | TELECONFERENCED | ||
+= | SB 169 | TELECONFERENCED | |
+= | HB 319 | TELECONFERENCED | |
HB 355-MENTAL HEALTH FIRST AID TRAINING 4:42:27 PM CHAIR HIGGINS announced that the next order of business would be HOUSE BILL NO. 355, "An Act establishing in the Department of Health and Social Services a first aid training program for mental health interventions." 4:42:38 PM REPRESENTATIVE TARR, as the sponsor of proposed HB 355, spoke about mental health first aid (MHFA) training. She paraphrased from the Sponsor Statement, which read: Alaska has the highest suicide rate per capita in the country, at almost twice the national rate. There is an average of 136 suicides a year in Alaska and between 2000 and 2009, there was at least one suicide in 176 different Alaskan communities. Alaska Native men between the ages of 15-24 have the highest rate of suicide among all demographics in the United States, and the rate of suicide for all Alaska youth in this age group was nearly twice as high as the rate for adults over 25. Compounding this problem, youth exposed to suicide or suicidal behaviors are more likely to attempt suicide. Notably, 90% of suicide victims have a diagnosable, treatable mental or substance abuse disorder. We must reverse this trend. In your life, you are more likely to see a person having a panic attack than you are to see someone having a heart attack. Though many of us know how to properly respond to a heart attack, few of us know what to do when confronted with someone having mental or emotional crises. Creating an environment where people know how to properly respond to these situations is a small step towards treating Alaska's problems with suicide, addiction, and abuse. Mental Health First Aid courses teach people how to recognize the signs and symptoms of mental health problems and how to provide initial aid before guiding a person toward appropriate professional help. MHFA was introduced to the United States in 2008 and since then over 50,000 state and municipal employees, clergy members, police officers, and citizens have been trained in 47 states and the District of Columbia. Participants learn how to detect a number of mental illnesses, including schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, psychosis, substance use disorders, depression, anxiety and eating disorders, and how to respond to people who have them. This ultimately saves municipalities money. People with untreated mental illnesses frequently consume fire and police department time, as well as emergency room costs. By recognizing when mental health treatment is necessary for young Alaskans, a community can begin to take care of itself. I ask for your consideration and support for Mental Health First Aid training for our youth so that we can have a healthier future and healthier Alaskans. 4:46:07 PM CHAIR HIGGINS opened public testimony. 4:46:16 PM JILL RAMSEY, Training Coordinator, Center for Human Development, University of Alaska, relayed that she was the training coordinator for mental health first aid, as well as other trainings. She reported that the training had been coordinated through the trust training cooperative for the past two and a half years, and had been able to respond to the many different populations requesting the training. She said there was a wide group of people interacting with the public and seeking training to deal with common mental health problems before they became a crisis. She reported that 22 states and municipalities had appropriated money for mental health first aid training, with a focus on prevention and early intervention for mental health and substance use problems. She relayed that many states had put this on par with standard first aid, and, as the outcomes of the training were being tracked, the barriers for help were being broken down. She shared that Colorado had appropriated $750,000 to expand its mental health first aid program. She reported that the lifesaving and cost saving effects were bringing national attention. CHAIR HIGGINS asked about the difference between a behavioral health analyst and a mental health first aid provider. MS. RAMSEY explained that this was a public education course for anyone and not a clinical training. She shared that there were calls from people who had lost a loved one, from high schools and college campuses, all with a need to know what to do and how to detect before there was any presentation of a threat to harm. REPRESENTATIVE KELLER exclaimed that this was an innovative model. He asked if they had approached employers, similar to Red Cross training, instead of asking for general funds. MS. RAMSEY replied that a number of large employers nationally were interested. She explained that mental health first aid was brand new in Alaska, and that they were currently targeting direct service providers for trainings. She stated that community wide public education was a new avenue in Alaska, and that other states and employers were requiring this alongside standard first aid training. MS. RAMSEY, in response to Representative Reinbold, said that a large percentage of completed suicides had a diagnosable mental health issue and/or substance use issue. She explained that an isolated or disenfranchised feeling, with depression or substance use, and a lethal means often created a dangerous situation. MS. RAMSEY, in response to Chair Higgins, said that she had received a Master's degree in Psychiatric Rehabilitation with a Bachelor's degree in social work and psychology. CHAIR HIGGINS asked about her training for mental health first aid training. MS. RAMSEY explained that two and a half years prior she was hired to be a training coordinator for the Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority training cooperative and the advisory council had suggested including mental health first aid. CHAIR HIGGINS asked about her training program. MS. RAMSEY replied that the mental health first aid training had been provided by the National Council on Behavioral Health Care in Seattle. She explained that it had originated in Australia in 2001, had been introduced into the United States in 2008, and had been brought to Alaska in 2011. 4:56:08 PM MS. RAMSEY, in response to Representative Reinbold, said that the Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority had funded the initial startup with a small grant that sent people from Alaska to become mental health first aid trainers. She noted that, as this was a public education course, there was a desire for other funding support. REPRESENTATIVE TARR, addressing the fiscal note, said that costs could be reduced by almost 66 percent in the first year, with additional reductions in future years. 4:58:02 PM DAVID D'AMATO, Senior Director, Health Policy, Alaska Primary Care Association, explained that the association recognized that mental health first aid was significant for its populations. He reported that the association was comprised of 160 community health care centers throughout Alaska. The association had decided to bring trainers to Alaska community health centers, as this was a good place to start breaking down the barriers regarding mental health matters in that community. He said that there were now 30 trainers and teachers. He explained that part of the agenda was to train trusted, respected people in each community, even if they were not trained in specific behavioral health areas. They could then begin to teach basic elements of mental health recognition and intervention. He shared that intervention was the piece that had been missing. He offered an anecdote comparing mental health first aid with CPR, as Alaska had a serious mental health epidemic. He stated that a goal of the Alaska Primary Care Association (APCA) was to break down the barriers that prevented true behavioral health and primary care integration. He reported that the APCA and the Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority were working in partnership on this project. He acknowledged that trainings would be necessary for other specific areas, including veterans, elders, and rural issues, as this training had focused on children. 5:02:30 PM CHAIR HIGGINS said that HB 355 bill would be held over and that public testimony would be kept open.