A press release from the McHenry County 708 Mental Health Board:

Cary Police Department and National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) offer Mental Health First Aid Training for Public Safety Personnel

Since Cary Police Department’s Deputy Chief of Field Operations, Scott Naydenoff, obtained certification as a Mental Health First Aid Instructor, he has partnered with NAMI and the Mental Health Board to offer trainings for area public safety personnel and first responders throughout McHenry County.

Mental Health First Aid is an evidence-based public education program that helps non-mental health professionals learn to defuse crisis, promote mental health literacy, combat stigma, enable early intervention, and connect people to care.

For a number of reasons, individuals experiencing mental illness and substance use disorders are overrepresented within the criminal justice system.

Thus, the Mental Health First Aid course provides more response options to help public safety personnel and first responders to help them deescalate incidents and better understand mental illness so they can respond to mental health related calls appropriately without compromising safety.

Two new trainings are planned for:

• Tuesday August 23rd – 8 A.M. – 4 P.M. at Cary Fire Station #1
• Saturday September 10th – 8 A.M. – 4 P.M. at MCC

For additional information regarding Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) please feel free to contact Kathy Ross at 815-308-0855.