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LYNNFIELD, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — A certification class in Lynnfield is being offered to residents next month called "Mental Health First Aid."
The program is designed to educate volunteers on what mental health and substance abuse challenges people may be facing, and how to best help and support these individuals.
'A Healthy Lynnfield' and the Lynnfield Rotary have partnered together to offer and manage the program they say will help volunteers gain skills to evaluate the risk of suicide and harm.
Most importantly, Director of A Healthy Lynnfield Peg Sallade, says the program will help remove the stigma of mental health illness and substance abuse, while teaching volunteers the tools they need to provide supportive strategies. "Most people on the street know how to respond with CPR to a heart attack," she said. "But we don't know how to respond to someone exhibiting signs of mental health and substance abuse."
Trained instructors will teach the class and facilitate the certification program that runs in February in two four-hour sessions.
WBZ's Kim Tunnicliffe (@KimWBZ) reports.
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