East Bay Regional Coalition receives mental health grant

Five-year grant totals $625,000

Posted 10/12/21

The East Bay Regional Coalition recently received a five-year grant totaling $625,000 from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) to conduct mental health awareness …

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East Bay Regional Coalition receives mental health grant

Five-year grant totals $625,000

Posted

The East Bay Regional Coalition recently received a five-year grant totaling $625,000 from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) to conduct mental health awareness training and crisis de-escalation for community members in the East Bay, with a goal of connecting more people to needed resources. 

The project will serve people who live or work in the communities of East Providence, Barrington, Warren, and Bristol. Target audiences include municipal employees, library staff, senior center employees, veterans home staff, school and university staff, families or caregivers of a special needs person, first responders, caregivers of senior citizens, and any community member who would like to learn more about responding to a person in a mental health crisis. 

Mental health crises are evident throughout Rhode Island and the East Bay. Seniors and veterans, in particular, experience high levels of depression and isolation, which have been exacerbated by the pandemic. In addition, many students are struggling with increased anxiety after the past two years of hybrid learning, with some recent studies finding that 10 to 25 percent of children will meet the criteria for an anxiety disorder during their youth. 

Many people interact with community members in need of some mental health support; knowing how to respond to someone is important. The East Bay Regional Coalition will offer several different trainings to various groups, including Stronger Together, a two to three-hour mental health training available both online and in person; Mental Health First Aid, an 8-hour training; Crisis Responder Training for first responders; Columbia Suicide Training, an online training; and Words Matter training, about language and stigma around mental health. All trainings will be free to attend. 

If you would like more information on any of these trainings, please contact Laura Cooke at EastBayMHAT@gmail.com or the East Bay Regional Coalition.

The East Bay Regional Coalition is part of the regional task force model of the Rhode Island Department of Behavioral Healthcare, Developmental Disabilities & Hospitals. The East Bay Regional Coalition is comprised of members from municipal prevention coalitions and other community stakeholders from Barrington, Bristol, East Providence, and Warren. 

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