The Florida Blue Foundation has awarded Palm Health Foundation a $238,218 four-year grant to implement Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) in Palm Beach County’s underserved communities. The grant will fund MHFA training for 2,000 residents and create long-term, self-sustaining impact by certifying trainers in each community to provide ongoing multi-lingual mental health education. MHFA is a national program that teaches skills to respond to the signs of mental illness and substance use.
Palm Health Foundation will facilitate partnerships with Alpert Jewish Family Services, Palm Beach County’s MHFA coordinator, and the foundation’s Healthier Together communities in West Palm Beach/Riviera Beach, Lake Worth, Delray Beach, Boynton Beach and Belle Glade. The Palm Health-funded communities are a trusted network of health professionals and community members working together to solve complex health issues. They will provide an established platform for launching MHFA.
The funding will target communities where the need is high, but the number of residents seeking help is low because of stigma and access to services. According to the Health and Human Services Office of Minority Health, African Americans are 20 percent more likely to experience serious mental health problems than the general population, yet the majority don’t seek professional help. Research has found that many African Americans rely on faith, family and social communities for emotional support rather than turning to health care professionals, even though medical or therapeutic treatment may be necessary. Among Latinos, a 2001 Surgeon General’s report found that only 20 percent of Latinos with symptoms of a psychological disorder talk to a doctor about their concerns.
