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.