By: Jessica Hoggle, DSW, LICSW
First responders frequently encounter individuals experiencing mental health crises, yet many report limited formal training or preparation in mental health response. Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) is a standardized, evidence-based training from the National Council for Mental Well-Being, with a targeted curriculum for public safety personnel and other first responders. Goals of this training include enhancing mental health literacy, reducing stigma, and increasing confidence in identifying and responding to an individual with a mental health or substance use issue. Training content includes psychoeducation, applied strategies on de-escalation and crisis intervention, hands-on practice of skills, and scenario-based activities tailored to first responder contexts.
In 2026, VitAL completed a 5-year grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) to deliver MHFA training to first responders across all 67 Alabama counties. The training is free to first responder agencies and gives them practical tools for identifying and responding to an individual experiencing a mental health issue. Whether that is providing a listening ear or connecting them to a professional mental health resource.Throughout the 5-year grant, the team trained 3,256 individuals through 169 trainings across Alabama. Through quantitative data collection, more than 92% of first responders reported improvement in mental health literacy from pre-test to post-test, with knowledge largely retained at six-month follow-up. However, the individual stories highlight the true impact the training can have in applying training concepts to real-life scenarios.
Quotes and stories shared by participants include:
“I feel much more comfortable now communicating in a direct way about someone’s mental health or substance use. I’ve also made sure to make myself more aware of the resources in my and surrounding areas.”
“I have used what I learned in the training to have many conversations with people I might not have been comfortable having before taking this course. It has helped me to be more aware of what to look for in a person as well as more confident when reaching out.”
“I really do feel that the training was to the point and very informative. I have already had a situation that sent me to a person that had overdosed and without a doubt in my mind I was applying the steps to assist this person. So, I thank the Lord and the instructors of this course.”
“There are some unique challenges out there today. Learning more about how to deal with mental health incidents has led to the ability to listen, talk, and support fellow 1st responders. Supporting each other in coping and recovery has been rewarding and challenging at the same time.”
These results would not have been possible without the partnerships and collaborations established with other departments and agencies. One notable partnership developed early in the grant cycle was with the Equitable Neighborhoods Initiative (ENI). ENI equips communities to address the pandemic-related issues of today while building capacity to deal with the health and quality of life challenges of tomorrow. ENI connects neighborhoods to resources to improve health equity and the development of each community.
Through the partnership between VitAL and ENI, the team provided Mental Health First Aid training to 16 rural communities, including two Indigenous tribes. Although the trainings continued to target first responders, the team also invited community leaders, clergy, medical and mental health providers, and other interested individuals to learn how to support people experiencing mental health challenges. In rural areas, mental health is an extremely important topic, taking into account the increased stigma, lack of resources, and barriers to seeking help. Through the training, participants begin to realize that mental health is equally important to discuss and nurture as physical health. Collaboration also takes place across disciplines during training, as individuals develop an understanding of issues faced by different professions, and discussion begins on potential solutions. Additionally, by targeting rural communities, the program provides individuals with access to free training opportunities that might otherwise be unavailable to them. The knowledge that participants gain not only builds their confidence when talking with someone, but in turn affects their broader community. By building strong relationships and fostering collaboration, the agencies accomplished far more together than any one agency could have achieved independently.