Kansas mental health centers will receive $62,000 from the Tower Mental Health Foundation of Kansas, Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt announced today.
The Tower Foundation awarded the grant to the Association of Community Mental Health Centers of Kansas, which represents 27 licensed Community Mental Health Centers in Kansas.
These mental health centers provide home- and community-based, as well as outpatient mental health services in all 105 counties in Kansas.
The grant will provide for funding a statewide training program titled “Mental Health First Aid USA.”
This curriculum is a public education program that introduces participants to the unique risk factors and warning signs of mental health problems, builds understanding of early intervention and teaches individuals how to help a person in crisis.
“This grant will help train first responders, law enforcement, clergy and other interested persons on how to approach and assist someone in a mental health crisis,” Schmidt said.
The Tower Mental Health Foundation of Kansas was created as a result of an agreement between the Attorney General’s Office and the Menninger Foundation in 2007. It offers support to organizations that provide mental health services to Kansas.
The Attorney General is the sole member of the Foundation, which is staffed by the Office of the Attorney General.
The Foundation’s Board of Directors is comprised of nine Kansans with a keen interest in mental health issues.
Dr. Walter Menninger serves as the Board’s president.
