Advocacy

State Policy

Since 2013, 28 states have made Mental Health First Aid a priority by enacting policies that allocate funding for trainings, require certification standards for public sector employees and establish statewide mental health training programs and mandates.

To truly address the scale of the mental health and substance use challenges facing every state, we need to train millions of people in Mental Health First Aid every year nationwide. That is why we are calling on state and local policymakers to establish pathways for their constituents to access Mental Health First Aid trainings by enacting policies that will:

1. Establish clear and comprehensive training objectives.
2. Target the training needs of specific populations.
3. Provide funding for sustained training.
4. Mandate training for public sector employees who engage directly with vulnerable populations, including youth.
5. Ensure Mental Health First Aid is included as an option to satisfy professional development credits.

Read the Mental Health First Aid Policy Handbook for more information, and learn more about what you can do to take action in your state to urge policymakers to prioritize making mental health awareness programs like MHFA available everywhere.

Sign Up for Advocacy Alerts

Together, we can #BeTheDifference and urge policymakers around the country to make mental wellbeing a priority by increasing funding for programs like Mental Health First Aid.

Sign up today to receive advocacy alerts from the National Council for Mental Wellbeing and Mental Health First Aid USA and help us create change nationwide:

Learn More

• Learn about the Project AWARE Mental Health First Aid grants for state and local education agencies to develop and support school-based mental health programs and services.
• Learn more about funding allocated from the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act for Project AWARE, including a list of awardees announced 1/9/23.
• Learn about the Biden-Harris Administration’s Mental Health Unity Agenda, including a commitment to train providers and professionals to identify, understand and respond to signs of mental illness and addiction, through programs like MHFA.