Representatives Lynn Jenkins (R-KS) and Doris Matsui (D-CA) introduced the Mental Health First Aid Act on Monday. The bipartisan legislation would expand mental health first aid training to help the public identify, understand, and respond to mental health issues and disorders.

The bill received support from professionals in the field of mental health, including David Johnson, CEO of Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center in Lawrence.

Bert Nash was one of seven pilot sites in the country for Mental Health First Aid in 2008. “Myself, our COO as well as several other staff were among the first certified Mental Health First Aid trainers in the nation,” Johnson said in a statement. “Since that time, the Bert Nash Center has certified more than 1,200 Douglas County residents, including local law enforcement, first responders, church staff, University of Kansas faculty and staff, and members of the Leadership Lawrence classes.”

U.S. Rep. Lynn Jenkins

In 2013, Bert Nash also began offering training in Youth Mental Health First Aid, aimed at those who work with young people, Johnson said.

He described Mental Health First Aid training as training that helps people with no clinical background know how to intervene when someone is experiencing a mental health crisis, such as contemplating suicide. It gives them the knowledge and the confidence to act.

Jenkins first started working on mental health initiatives nearly a decade ago through her involvement with the Family Service and Guidance Center in Topeka and the National Council for Behavioral Health.

In November, she hosted the first-ever Mental Health First Aid training for veterans in Kansas with the KU Collegiate Veterans Association, KU Counseling and Psychological Services, the KU Graduate Military Programs, and the National Council on Behavioral Health.

Jenkins said that teachers, first responders, law enforcement officers, veterans, and many other public servants are often on the front lines of persons living with mental illness.

“Until recently, these individuals had little or no training on how to adequately respond to mental health crises,” she said. “But because of the work of many behavioral health professionals, like those at Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center in Lawrence, the Mental Health First Aid education program is helping train the public to identify, understand, and support someone suffering from mental health. Mental Health First Aid is making a real difference in our communities and this legislation will ensure that more Americans have access to mental health resources — including our veterans — and that more communities have the tools needed to help those struggling with mental illness.”