On February 14th, La Crosse Police will be providing Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) training to the staff at Aquinas Catholic Schools. Last summer we partnered for 2 days of training. Next Monday, we will again come together to train the remaining Aquinas Staff in MHFA. We are very excited for this partnership as they will be the first school in the area to have all of their staff trained in MHFA. Youth Mental Health First Aid teaches you how to identify, understand and respond to signs of mental illness and substance use disorders in youth. This training gives adults who work with youth the skills they need to reach out and provide initial support to children and adolescents (ages 6-18) who may be developing a mental health or substance use problem and help connect them to the appropriate care.
La Crosse Police have been training MHFA since March 2018 with 2 department members. We have expanded our training team to 4 department members and trained in the areas of youth and adult MHFA in conjunction with Better Together. “The members of the La Crosse Police Department see mental health education as a way for the community to come together, to support one another in time of need as well as to help break down the stigma surrounding Mental Health. Everyone needs help at some point and it’s OK. We are stronger together.” Chief Shawn Kudron
We are excited to continue this partnership with Aquinas Catholic Schools as well as all of our community partners as we work together for the betterment of the community. For information, please contact Captain Avrie Schott, 608-789-7208.
