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“ The same day I completed the Youth Mental Health First Aid training, I was able to put it into practice. A friend reached out and did not sound like herself … I asked her if she was thinking of killing herself ... It felt odd to ask her if she had thought about how she would do it, but she opened up, and her breathing actually became lighter. It was almost as if she had been holding her breath, waiting for someone to just ask. … then we talked about getting help.”

- Mandy Wright, Executive Director, CASA for Kids of South-Central Texas

This month we celebrated Mental Health Awareness Month by sharing inspiring stories from people just like you. They wrote about the ways Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) has impacted their communities and their lives. From friends to colleagues, strangers to loved ones, MHFA is crucial for early intervention and aiding the journey to recovery for individuals facing mental health and substance use challenges. That’s important because research shows that the most effective way to help someone who may be at risk is to intervene early, before the condition can progress, especially because less than half (44%) of U.S. adults receive treatment for mental health conditions. MHFA equips people from all walks of life with the information and skills to support someone who may be experiencing a challenge. Your open and honest conversations with each other help reduce the stigma around mental health and encourage professional help to those who may need it.

The COVID-19 pandemic continues to impact communities around the U.S. – and our mental health along with them. MHFA emphasizes supporting each other and taking care of ourselves with self-care strategies. We can #BeTheDifference by talking about how we’re really doing and remembering that it’s OK to not be OK. The stories First Aiders, Instructors and Coordinators shared highlight the benefits of MHFA, especially in these difficult times.

Be sure to check out our blog and social media channels for daily information and tips – follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram!

Get that Sh*t Out Campaign

Mental Health First Aid USA is partnering with Bioré Skincare to bring free, virtual Mental Health First Aid training to students across at least 100 colleges in the United States! Training will be provided on a first-come-first-serve per college basis. College students can learn more and apply at MHFA.org/Biore. For more information, follow @BioreUS on Instagram.

New Name, New Look:

The National Council for Mental Wellbeing

The National Council for Behavioral Health changed its name to the National Council for Mental Wellbeing, which more aptly reflects our commitment to make mental wellbeing, including recovery from substance use challenges, a reality for everyone. The new name responds to changes in the fields of mental health and substance use treatment and better defines the work of our nearly 3,500 member organizations. Mental Health First Aid is adopting a dynamic new look that reinforces the link between the National Council and this vital program.

Voices of Mental Health First Aid

One County’s MHFA Experience

Sue Wyder, a MHFA Coordinator and program manager in King County, Washington, explains how important MHFA is, and how King County expanded the program during COVID-19 to reach more people in Black, Indigenous and people of color (BIPOC) communities.

You Can Be a Lifeline

Dawn Redmond, a Mental Health First Aid Coordinator and Secretary, shares how MHFA changed her perspective around mental health and self-care, and encourages her every day to think more critically about what she says when providing support to patients and their families.

teen Mental Health First Aid Taught Me How to Help My Friends

After being trained in teen Mental Health First Aid (tMHFA), Ella Vaillancourt describes how the training enabled her to be a more supportive friend and care for her own mental health.

Why I Teach Mental Health First Aid

Following the death of a colleague who was experiencing unrecognized mental and substance use challenges, Tony Cloud helped bring MHFA to his facility to help staff better care for each other and their clients.

By Being Observant, You Can Change Someone’s Life

Rev. Jason Pointer, a director of pastoral care and counseling and clinical pastoral education coordinator, relates his own journey with mental health and how Mental Health First Aid has positively impacted his role in the largest psychiatric hospital in Texas.

ALGEE in the News

The Renton, Washington, Chamber of Commerce trained local businesses and non-profit organizations in Mental Health First Aid after its CEO noticed an overwhelming need in the community.

Employees at the Boys & Girls Club of Pawtucket, Rhode Island, were trained in Youth Mental Health First Aid as part of the Club’s diversity, equity and inclusion initiative.

The Mental Health Board in Vermilion County, Illinois, is offering Adult and Youth Mental Health First Aid in response to steadily rising teen suicide rates in the state and nationwide.

Thank you for choosing to #BeTheDifference, Mental Health First Aid USA

The National Council for Mental Wellbeing is the unifying voice of America’s health care organizations that deliver mental health and addictions treatment and services. Together with our 3,326 member organizations serving over 10 million adults, children and families living with mental illnesses and addictions, the National Council is committed to all Americans having access to comprehensive, high-quality care that affords every opportunity for recovery. The National Council introduced Mental Health First Aid USA and 2 million Americans have been trained. For more information, please visit www.TheNationalCouncil.org.

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All New Orleans Public Library locations will be closed on Monday, May 31, in observance of Memorial Day.

As City of New Orleans government buildings, all New Orleans Public Library locations require masking and social distancing.

Due to facilities maintenance, Alvar Library will only be open for contactless pick-up & drop-off on Mondays - Thursdays from 10am - 6pm and Fridays & Saturdays from 10am - 5pm.

Cita Dennis Hubbell Library is currently undergoing exterior work but remains open to the public. More information can be found here.

Nix Library is temporarily closed for facility upgrades. Information about this project can be found here.

SUMMER FUN starts Tuesday!

Libraries across the country host summer reading programs as a way to encourage reading as a lifelong habit, maintain reading skills that children and teens have achieved throughout the school year, and increase interest in libraries, and because it’s just plain fun. Join in the SUMMER FUN by signing up today.

Click here to get started.

The 2021 New Orleans Public Library SUMMER FUN reading program is sponsored by the Friends of the New Orleans Public Library with support from the Eugenie and Joseph Jones Family Foundation, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana, and the Entergy Charitable Foundation.

Louisiana Reads! Bringing Literacy and Learning to Your Home

Parents and caregivers will learn strategies to encourage their children to read. There is also an opportunity to earn books to build their home libraries. Supplies are limited.

The New Orleans Public Library has partnered with the Center for Development and Learning, a Louisiana-based non-profit organization, to promote at-home reading through literacy awareness, book distribution, and direct-service to families. The Louisiana Reads! initiative aims to tackle the literacy crisis through quality content delivery to caretakers of children, promotion of active parent engagement, and building community partnerships.

To sign up, parents and caregivers can visit www.pathlms.com/cdl and click on Louisiana Reads! to access parent engagement videos and earn books provided by Young, Black & Lit, a Chicago-based non-profit organization committed to increasing access to children's books that center, reflect, and affirm Black children.

Available in June & July

Life and Other Shortcomings - A Conversation with Corie Adjmi

Award-winning fiction writer Corie Adjmi will discuss "Life and Other Shortcomings," her collection of linked short stories, with Constance Adler, a local writer.

Life and Other Shortcomings takes the reader from New Orleans to New York City to Madrid, and from 1970 to the present day. For more information, contact Robin at 504-596-2655.

Sponsored by the Friends of the New Orleans Public Library.

Register Here

Thursday, June 3 from 4pm - 5:30pm

What If? Speculative Fiction Short Story Club

What If? is a virtual monthly speculative short story club, during which we will discuss two stories in the genres of fantasy, science fiction, horror, alternate history, and/or weird fiction.

“Speculative Fiction” is an umbrella term covering a wide range of fiction from sci-fi and fantasy to ghost stories and fairy tales. Any fiction that deals with “non-reality” generally falls under this category.

June's short stories are Folding Beijing by Hao Jingfang and Metal Like Blood in the Dark by T. Kingfisher.

The stories will be available either in the Library catalog or in free online literary magazines. Contact Meliki at maddison@nolalibrary.org for more information about the club or for PDF copies of the stories. Participants may also suggest stories for upcoming sessions.

This program is sponsored by the Friends of New Orleans Public Library.

Register Here

Saturday, June 5 from 11:30am - 1pm

Occasionally, event dates and times change. To ensure you are viewing the most current event information, visit nolalibrary.org/events or contact the Library.

Entrepreneurial Mindset Training Course

Learn how to think like an entrepreneur directly from successful real-world business owners through this free course.

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