The Village of Lake Success-based National Alliance on Mental Illness Queens/Nassau this month received a $100,000 grant from a Manhasset church to fund two of the non-profit organization’s programs to promote a greater understanding of mental diseases.
The grant, which is funded by the Unitarian Universalist Congregation at Shelter Rock, will be used to provide expansion of the National Alliance on Mental Illness crisis-intervention training program for Hempstead police officers and mental illness education initiatives in Nassau County schools, NAMI Director of Public Relations and Development Amy Lax said on Monday.
“Thanks to previous UUCSR funding, we were able to increase the awareness about mental illness and train 18 Hempstead police officers in how best to respond to mentally aided calls while also assuring a safer outcome for the officers and those with mental illness,” said NAMI crisis intervention training program coordinator John Shorter.
With the new grant funding training for 18 additional Hempstead police officers, Shorter said he is expecting an even safer environment for police officers and people suffering from mental health issues in the future.
“Given the overwhelmingly positive CIT 2011 evaluation results, we are very grateful to be able to expand this training to an additional 18 officers,” he said.
In addition, Nassau county’s schools will also be receiving an education about mental illnesses through the Unitarian Universalist Congregation at Shelter Rock grant.
The grant will fund what NAMI calls its “Breaking the Silence” mental illness education program, NAMI Queens/Nassau President Janet Susin said.
“This year’s funding will support school assemblies that help students identify mental health concerns and establish healthy life-styles,” she said.
The “Break the Silence” program includes a limited amount of classroom lesson plan packets and a new video called “Student Voices Loud and Proud,” Susin said.
“The new video, will be available free of charge to schools in Nassau County,” Susin said.
“Thanks to UUCSR,” she added, “students will learn about mental illnesses, that treatment is available and works, and how to substitute compassion for stigma.”
