Empowering Community Members to Assist with Mental Wellbeing

In April, the Humana Foundation was named “Partner of the Year” by the National Council for Mental Wellbeing at their Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) Summit. The award recognizes our support of the organization’s goal to train community members to recognize mental health issues and substance abuse disorders in individuals and to intervene on the path toward securing professional assistance.

Mental Health in Our Communities. The Humana Foundation remains committed to addressing mental health, especially in our underserved communities. We provided support to the Council as part of our Health Equity Innovation Fund, which seeks out high-risk, high-reward approaches to testing novel health equity solutions.

An Urgent Need. According to the Council, every 1 in 15 people should be certified to identify, understand and respond to signs and symptoms of mental health and substance use challenges.

MHFA is a Critical Tool.  MHFA is an evidence-based, early-intervention course that is available virtually and in person. It uses community-specific scenarios, activities and videos to teach the skills needed to recognize and respond to signs and symptoms of mental health and substance use challenges as well as how to provide initial support until individuals are connected with appropriate professional help.

The Humana Foundation’s three-year grant will go toward the development and testing of MHFA toolkits, including best practices, resources and recommendations for participating communities. Year one of the grant will focus on planning and development of the kit; year two will center on implementation; and year three will provide an opportunity to revise and finalize the kit.

The toolkits will promote collaboration between local and county governments, organizations, groups and individuals, to deliver MHFA training across a range of settings and population groups with a focus on planning, sustainability and continuous improvement. 

To learn more, visit the National Council for Mental Wellbeing.