A076 (Strengthening of Churchwide Training in Mental Health First Aid)
House of Bishops Message #293
The House of Bishops informs the House of Deputies that on Jun 28, 2024 it considered resolution A076 (Strengthening of Churchwide Training in Mental Health First Aid). The house acted to:
Concur
Resolved, the House of Bishops concurring,
That the 81st General Convention of the Episcopal Church authorize and fund the Executive Council to direct provide for the training of additional Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) instructors in the Episcopal Church to provide local, diocesan, and provincial trainings in both Adult, Youth, and Teen-2-Teen Mental Health First Aid, to expand the existing MHFA trainer pool and thus increase access to training for clergy and lay leaders across all Provinces of the Episcopal Church, with training to be completed by May 2027, so that they will become available as resource trainers for the dioceses in each Province; and be it further
Resolved, That the 81st General Convention request that the Joint Standing Committee on Program, Budget and Finance Executive Council Joint Subcommittee on Budget Committee allocate $102,000 from the Episcopal Church triennium budget appropriation for the funding of this work; and be it further
Resolved, That the 81st General Convention recommend the exploration with cultural humility of MHFA International resources with the intent to expand MHFA training into with non-English-speaking countries and communities to provide trainer coverage as needed for all Provinces; and be it further
Resolved, That the 81st General Convention authorize and fund the deployment of MHFA instructors, including basic travel-related support, across the next three trienniums to train all active priests and deacons by 2033 for an estimated cost of $159,000; and be it further
Resolved, That the 81st General Convention request that the Joint Standing Committee on Program, Budget and Finance Executive Council Joint Subcommittee on Budget Committee allocate $53,000 for that work to support these travel costs for MHFA instructors in this triennium; and be it further
Resolved, That the 81st General Convention request that the Executive Council Joint Subcommittee on Budget Committee allocate $10,800 be allocated for the generation of printed instructional resources for the diocesan MHFA trainings.