Dunn County Mental Health Improvement Project was launched to provide adults with the knowledge and skills to help 16-24 year olds who are developing a mental health problem or experiencing a crisis. The project, implemented by Arbor Place, Inc., involves collaboration with UW-Stout and local behavioral health providers to provide free training in an evidence-based program called Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) to adults who regularly interact with youth.

 

The overall goal of the proposed program is to move the community of Dunn County toward wide-scale knowledge of behavioral health issues that affect youth and referring them to needed services. To accomplish this goal, the proposed project includes the following objectives, strategies and interventions:

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1) Increase the mental health literacy of adults who interact with transition-aged youth (16-24 year olds)

2) Increase the capacity of adults within Dunn County to respond to the behavioral health issues of transition-aged youth

3) Conduct outreach and engagement strategies annually (a minimum of 24 during the 3-year project)  with transition-aged youth and their families or caregivers to increase awareness of and promote positive behavioral health

4) Link transition-aged youth with behavioral issues to mental, emotional, and behavioral health assistance and services

5) Increase the number of collaborative partnerships with relevant youth-serving community agencies and programs by establishing the Dunn County Mental Health First Aid Collaborative