Mental Health First Aid in Schools: Connecting Public Health, Policy, & Equity in COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic has taken a toll on the mental health of all age groups. Students and adolescents report that the pandemic has had significant impacts on their mental health, as they’ve missed out on major life events and adjusted to distance learning. At the same time, the pandemic has exacerbated mental health inequities across minority and vulnerable groups, particularly among Black and Latino youth. Schools have been instrumental in providing mental health supports and interventions, even before the pandemic, and communities, policymakers, and researchers also play a role in implementing school-based mental health services. The COVID-19 pandemic has taken a toll on the mental health of all age groups. Mental Health First Aid is one intervention that has helped schools respond to students’ mental health needs in both a low-cost and high-impact manner.

The web forum is moderated by President and CEO Dr. Mary Pittman and offers:

• Lessons learned from the 2020 school year and potential approaches for 2021
• How communities, advocates, researchers, and policymakers can partner with one another to implement Mental Health First Aid during the pandemic; and
• Evidence-based strategies to improve mental health equity through Mental Health First Aid.

Originally published by Dialogue4Health