Farmscape for October 26, 2018

The Do More Agriculture Foundation is preparing to announce, next week, which communities will be the first to receiving funding for mental health first aid training under its Community Fund for Mental Health.
As part of a one year pilot project, the Do More Agriculture Foundation in partnership with Farm Credit Canada, will provide funding for rural communities to offer mental health first aid training.
Kim Keller, a Saskatchewan farmer and cofounder of the Do More Agriculture Foundation, explains Mental Health First Aid Training is a two day certification course similar to physical first aid training except it focuses on mental health.

Clip-Kim Keller-Do More Agriculture Foundation:
Mental Health First Aid Training will be provided by certified facilitators from across Canada and we will work with the communities to identify the right facilitator for them.
Like I said, it's a two day course and, within that course, they learn about different mental health issues, different mental illnesses, how to recognize signs and symptoms that someone may be experiencing a crisis and how to intervene in that crisis until professional health can be reached.
It's not teaching you to be a therapist, it's not teaching you to be a doctor.
It's only teaching you how to respond in a crisis situation not unlike physical first aid would train you on how to respond if someone breaks their leg and until you get them to the hospital or 9-1-1 is contacted.

Keller says just over 100 requests were received from across Canada before applications were closed due to the overwhelming response and the foundation will announce, November 1st, the first communities that will receive funding for Mental Health First Aid Training with the remaining communities will be placed on a wait list until additional funding can be generated.
She says when and where the first courses will begin has not been set but the goal is to have the first courses completed by March.
For Farmscape.Ca, I'm Bruce Cochrane.

       *Farmscape is a presentation of Sask Pork and Manitoba Pork