(BLOOMINGTON) – Every sworn officer of the Indiana University Police Department has a new skill: Mental Health First Aid training.
IUPD Maj. Laury Flint, director for community engagement and threat assessment, served as the instructor for the class.
IU Public Safety and Institutional Assurance partnered with Healthy IU to host the mental health training. Healthy IU is an employee wellness program that provides health screenings and workshops on all IU campuses.
Flint said several training classes took place over the summer, and an additional class will be held in November for officers who were unable to attend the previous sessions.
The training course teaches participants how to recognize mental health and substance abuse illnesses. Since it started in 2001, the Mental Health First Aid class has taught more than 2 million people across the United States.
Every person who goes through training will be certified in Mental Health First Aid for three years. The only cost to attend is the $18.95 fee for a manual the participants get to keep.
