Florida Senate - 2014 SB 574 By Senator Sobel 33-00532-14 2014574__ 1 A bill to be entitled 2 An act relating to the establishment of a mental 3 health first aid training program; requiring the 4 Department of Children and Families to establish a 5 mental health first aid training program; providing 6 for a mental health first aid course to be offered by 7 behavioral health managing entities or other community 8 providers; providing program requirements; requiring 9 instructors to be certified; requiring the department 10 to submit a report to the Governor and the 11 Legislature; providing for expiration of the program; 12 providing an effective date. 13 14 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 15 16 Section 1. Mental health first aid training program.— 17 (1) The Department of Children and Families shall establish 18 a mental health first aid training program to help the public 19 identify and understand the signs of mental illness and 20 substance use disorders and to provide the public with skills to 21 help a person who is developing or experiencing a mental health 22 or substance use problem. 23 (2) The training program shall provide an interactive 24 mental health first aid training course through contracts with 25 behavioral health managing entities or other appropriate 26 community providers. The contracting entity shall work 27 cooperatively with local schools to provide training to the 28 staff in schools as a first priority, when appropriate. 29 (3) The training program must include, but is not limited 30 to: 31 (a) An overview of mental illness and substance use 32 disorders and the need to reduce the stigma of mental illness. 33 (b) Information on the potential risk factors and warning 34 signs of mental illness or substance use disorders, including 35 depression, anxiety, psychosis, eating disorders, and self 36 injury, and common treatments for those conditions. 37 (c) An action plan that encompasses the skills, resources, 38 and knowledge required to assess the situation, select and 39 implement appropriate interventions, and help an individual by 40 providing appropriate professional, peer, social, or self-help 41 care. 42 (4) The Department of Children and Families shall ensure 43 that instructors in the training program have been certified by 44 a national authority representing Mental Health First Aid USA. 45 (5) The Department of Children and Families shall submit a 46 report on the effectiveness of the mental health first aid 47 training program provided pursuant to this section, with 48 recommendations regarding continued implementation of the 49 program. The report shall be submitted to the Governor, the 50 President of the Senate, and the Speaker of the House of 51 Representatives by December 31, 2016. 52 (6) This section expires June 30, 2017. 53 Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2014.