New York City Health Bureau, the Asian American Medical Association, and First Health Alliance jointly announced on May 15 that they will be hosting four sessions of the 2.0 version of “Mental First Aid Training” in the Chinese community in May and June. These free eight-hour certification training courses will be conducted in Mandarin, and participants will receive the “American Psychological Health Association Certificate.” The public is welcome to sign up for the training.
At the press conference, it was highlighted that at least one-fifth of New York City residents may be struggling with mental health issues, and from 1999 to 2019, 841,000 people died from drug overdoses. Mental health first aid training is a groundbreaking public education project aimed at equipping more people with the knowledge of how to assist others when they encounter mental health problems or substance abuse. This project has already provided training to over 5,000 individuals.
The training includes teaching participants how to identify, understand, and respond to signs of mental health challenges and substance abuse in adults. Song Yizhen, the “Asian Community Outreach and Training Officer” at the New York City Health Bureau, stated that the 2.0 version retains the content from the 1.0 version related to depression, anxiety, suicide crisis intervention, schizophrenia, and substance use disorders while adding a new section on eating disorders. Additionally, the 2.0 version has upgraded the videos with full Chinese subtitles and Chinese-language dialogue exercises, making it easier for more people to understand mental health-related knowledge and dispel misunderstandings and prejudices about mental illness.
Councilwoman Sandra Ung from Flushing mentioned that this training opens doors to provide resources for all individuals to acquire the skills of mental health first aid. Mental health issues can lead to various social problems, including homelessness, which is one of the most serious issues facing New York City. Without addressing mental health issues, solving the homelessness problem becomes more challenging.
Dr. Liu Yuqing, a board member of the Chinese American Independent Practice Association (CAIPA), emphasized that mental health issues are not incurable diseases and can be changed. Currently, individuals with mental health problems are mostly aged 18 to 25, which coincides with the rebellious phase of adolescents. It is crucial for the general public to undergo this training.
Jess Chen, the project director of the New York Parent-Child Mutual Aid Association, and Ben Hui, a project specialist at the A&A Health Center who has attended the training twice, suggested that families with special needs, families with satellite babies, and families with teenagers going through rebellious phases should all participate in the training.
Wang Huiyue, the Asian market sales director of First Health Alliance, and Wang Yaoming, the chairman of the Flushing Chinese Business Promotion Association, expressed their support during the press conference.
The training sessions schedule is as follows:
– May 29 (Wednesday) from 9:30 am to 5:30 pm; Location: Asian American Medical Association Flushing Office Conference Room (136-33 37th Street 2FL Flushing)
– May 30 (Thursday) from 9:30 am to 5:00 pm; Location: Brooklyn New York Parent-Child Mutual Aid Association (PCRNY, 909 58th Street Brooklyn NY 11219)
– June 12 (Wednesday) from 9:30 am to 5:00 pm; Location: Flushing Qiyang Cultural Center (133-29 41st Ave. Flushing, NY 11355)
– June 27 (Thursday) from 9:30 am to 5:30 pm; Location: Brooklyn New York Parent-Child Mutual Aid Association (PCRNY, 909 58th Street Brooklyn NY 11219)
To register, please text 646-988-8668, call 917-689-9018 for inquiries, or scan the QR code to sign up.