Copper Mountain College Foundation has been awarded a $10,000 grant from Kaiser Foundation Hospitals, Moreno Valley for Mental Health First Aid Training at Copper Mountain College.
“Anyone, anywhere can be the one to make a difference in the life of someone with a mental health or substance abuse challenge – if they know what to do and what to say,” said Linda Rosenberg, President and CEO of the National Council for Behavioral Health. “The difference between someone contemplating suicide and one who goes through with the act could be a friend, teacher, coach, parent or any person who knows what to look for and how to engage people in open conversation. Those are the skills learned in Mental Health First Aid.”
The first step of this grant will be for the Copper Mountain College Library Specialist and CMC Alum, Catherine Inscore, to attend a week-long instructor training course this summer to become certified to teach Mental Health First Aid. Mental Health First Aid is an eight-hour in-person training designed for anyone to learn about mental illness and addiction, including risk factors and warning signs. Participants learn a five-step action 
plan to help people who are living with a mental health challenge or experiencing a crisis.
Since 2006, Ms. Inscore has been a volunteer Commissioner representing the 3rd District to San Bernardino Behavioral Health. According to Inscore, “Mental Health First Aid teaches people that it’s okay to talk about mental health issues.” Inscore added, “It is my goal that Mental Health First Aid will be as common as CPR and traditional first aid.”
Mental Health First Aid takes the fear and hesitation out of starting conversations about mental health and substance use problems by improving understanding and providing an action plan that teaches people to safely and responsibly identify and address a potential mental illness or substance use disorder. When more people are equipped with the tools they need to start a dialogue, more people can get the help they may need. People who have had Mental Health First Aid training can even save lives. The goals is, once Ms. Inscore is a certified trainer, she will be training staff, faculty and students at Copper Mountain College.
If you would like to learn more about the Foundation or to contribute to the betterment of all students, please call 760-366-3791 ext. 4200.