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Page 14 THE MALDEN ADVOCATE–Friday, March 22, 2019 Cambridge Health Alliance Launches New Mental Health Awareness Training Program tudies show that each year, more than one in fi ve Americans experience a mental health or substance abuse issue, while only 40% of those affected seek treatment. For friends and family members, it can be hard to know when and how to help. As a result, those in need of mental health services often do not receive the help they need. Through the Mental Health S Awareness Training program, funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), Cambridge Health Alliance (CHA) is offering free Mental Health First Aid trainings in community settings. The program will expand and increase educational opportunities in Cambridge, Chelsea, Everett, Malden, Medford, Revere, Somerville and Winthrop. CHA is offering community trainings focused on adult mental health, challenges common among children and adolescents, and for Veterans and their families. CHA’s Community Health Improvement Department is partnering with community organizations to ensure broad reach and access to increase the community’s capacity to support people with mental health challenges. Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) is an eight-hour certifi cation training that provides individuals with the skills to assist someone facing a mental health crisis. Just as CPR helps those without clinical training assist an individual having a heart attack, MHFA prepares participants to interact with a person experiencing a mental health crisis. Trainees will learn a five-step action plan that guides them through the process of reaching out and off ering support. “When we observe someone having a health crisis like a heart attack, or car accident, we don’t hesitate to off er some sort of aid,” noted Jaime Lederer, MSW, MPH, who directs the grant program at CHA. “People are sometimes less comfortable responding to a mental health crisis - someone experiencing anxiety, severe depression or substance misuse. MHFA gives laypeople the knowledge and skills they need to provide assistance and refer people for further help.” Over one million people have been trained in MHFA nationwide, according to the National Council on Behavioral Health, which leads MHFA training efforts. “Expanding mental health training in our communities will strengthen our capacity to better support Jaime Lederer, MSW, MPH, Project Director, leads Mental Health Awareness Training. and serve those who experience a mental health problem,” explained Lederer. “By removing the fear and hesitation people often feel when discussing mental health and substance use, we can reduce the stigma and equip people with the necessary tools to start a dialogue, and more people can receive the support they may need.” The MHFA program helps participants recognize the signs and symptoms of a number of mental health issues including depression, anxiety, trauma, psychosis, substance use and ways to respond to crises like suicidal thoughts, panic attacks, and overdoses. “Research shows that those who have attended a MHFA class feel much more prepared to assist those grappling with mental health issues and to help them get the appropriate services that they need,” noted Lederer, “I look forward to expanding our reach in communities and raising awareness of the resources and services available to help.” To learn more about the Cambridge Health Alliance’s programs and services, including Mental Health First Aid please visit: http://bit.ly/ CHAMHSupport. CHA is an academic community health system committed to providing high-quality care in Cambridge, Somerville and Boston’s metro-north communities. CHA has expertise in primary care, specialty care and mental health/substance use services, as well as caring for diverse and complex populations. It includes three hospital campuses, a network of primary care and specialty practices and the Cambridge Public Health Dept. CHA patients have seamless access to advanced care through the system’s affi liation with Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston. CHA is a Harvard Medical School teaching affiliate and is also affiliated with Harvard School of Public Health, Harvard School of Dental Medicine and Tufts University School of Medicine. For more information, visit www.challiance.org. Save the Harbor/Save the Bay splashes in the snow to support public beaches O n March 10, over 200 beach lovers braved not only the chilly winter water but also snowy weather and plunged into Boston Harbor at the BCYF Curley Community Center in South Boston as part of the 9th annual Harpoon Shamrock Splash to benefi t Save the Harbor/Save the Bay and the Department of Conservation and Recreation’s Better Beaches Program. This year the “pledge and plunge” fundraiser raised more than $50,000 for the Better Beaches Program, which provides grants to community organizations that host free events and programs on the region’s public beaches. Participants could direct their fundraising to their favorite local beach, and teams raised $1,765 for events on Revere Beach. Each year the program supports free concerts and beach festivals, sand-sculpting competitions and youth programs on public beaches in Lynn, Nahant, Revere, Winthrop, East Boston, South Boston, Dorchester, Quincy and Hull. “Thirty years ago nobody wanted to go swimming at the region’s beaches and today, here in New England and the only thing we love more than snow is the beach.” “All of us at Harpoon look they are some of the cleanest urban beaches in the country,” said Save the Harbor/Save the Bay President Tani Marinovich. “It’s amazing to see the community that supports this event and supports our beaches from Nahant to Nantasket.” Before the sprint into the ocean, Boston 25 Meteorologist Vicki Graf was on hand to deliver a real-time weather report: Although the air temperature was 34 degrees, the water itself was a balmy 40 degrees! Even though everyone was already wet from the snow and rain before splashing into the harbor, 2019’s Harpoon Shamrock Splash was the best one yet with splashers enjoying delicious brunch burritos from Baja Taco Truck and fresh, hot chowder from Daily Catch while Mix 104.1 played music on the beach. Harpoon beers invigorated participants after their plunge. “I love when it snows on Splash day,” said Save the Harbor/Save the Bay’s Director of Strategy and Communications, Bruce Berman, who has splashed every year since the event began. “We’re hearty forward to a relaxing beach day after our Harpoon St. Patrick’s festival to support a great cause and warm up with a refreshing Harpoon, brunch burrito, and clam chowder on the beach with our friends from Save the Harbor/Save the Bay,” said Harpoon Brewery President Charlie Storey. “The water might be cold, and the beach might be covered in snow, but the warm feeling you get from giving back to your community stays with you for a long time.” Participants won JetBlue flights and great Harpoon swag for reaching fundraising goals. Mary Cole from East Boston, who raised $1,530 and received the most donations to her splash, and Trevor Etheridge from Jamaica Plain, who raised $1,655, were the top two fundraisers. They each won round-trip JetBlue fl ights for their eff orts. The two costume contest winners, Elaine Howley of Waltham, as the Banana Minion, and Joe Skahan BEACHES | SEE PAGE 16

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