First aid program to include mental health

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This article was published 31/10/2018 (2618 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Mental health first aid is being added to St. John Ambulance first aid training, which an estimated 25,000 Manitobans receive each year.

“I’m ecstatic,” said Richard Fetherston, director of training and operations for Nunavut, Northwest Territories and Manitoba.

“The more people who are aware of it and thinking about it, the better it is for society as a whole,” said Fetherston, who is in Winnipeg. One in five Canadians will be diagnosed with a mental illness, while one in three will deal with a mental health problem, he said.

Mental health first aid gives people the skills to help them, said Fetherston.

The mental health component of St. John’s standard first aid program rolls out Nov. 1. It will be added to the one-day emergency first aid course after Jan. 1, he said.

“We just finished with instructor updates and everyone is very positive and excited to add this to the program,” said Fetherston.

The content will be integrated in multiple chapters that help trainees define mental health, recognize and respond to a mental health emergency, and refer participants to mental health resources, he said. It’s to teach people to assess and respond in a helpful way, he said.

For instance, if someone is bleeding profusely, a first aid responder will put a dressing on the wound, apply pressure and get them to a doctor. “You’re not going to stitch that wound,” he said.

If someone is in a mental health crisis and suicidal, a first aid responder would call 911, he said.

“If the situation is not life-threatening, then you’d ask questions, listen and find out more,” said Fetherston. The responder could connect with resources such as en employee assistance program, Alcoholics Anonymous or an abuse hotline. “Encourage that person to get help, then followup,” he said.

St. John Ambulance — or the Order of St. John — is one of the world’s oldest humanitarian organizations. It’s a global, non-denominational, charitable organization with more than 30,000 members worldwide, 250,000 volunteers and 4,000 employees in more than 40 countries.

carol.sanders@freepress.mb.ca