Mount Dora, Fla. (September 20, 2018) - Be Free Lake, Inc. – A Drug Free Coalition will address the behavioral health issues of Veterans, armed services members, their families, and the community for Lake and Sumter Counties through a $375,000 federal grant award. The agency was 1 out of 126 organizations throughout the U.S. to receive this funding under The Department of Health and Human Services - Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).

“The goal of the Lake County MHAT Project is to build capacity in our community, to detect and respond appropriately to behavioral health concerns impacting adults and youth, and to connect them to needed services,” says Delrita Meisner, Executive Director of Be Free Lake.

The MHAT project will work with agencies, families, law enforcement, and policy makers to increase mental health awareness and training opportunities for our local Veterans, armed services members, their families, and community members.

The objectives of the Lake County MHAT program include the following:

(1) train veterans, armed services members and families, and community members to recognize the signs and symptoms of mental disorders(2) increase mental health awareness in the community by reaching individuals monthly through mental health awareness trainings, social media, and prevention activities(3) provide all Lake County school personnel and community based mental health agencies with the resources (print and web-based) to accurately refer individuals with the signs and symptoms of mental illness to appropriate services throughout the life of the project(4) train veteran service providers, law enforcement, first responders and others to identify persons with a mental disorder and employ crisis de-escalation techniques through MHFA Training and referral to CIT when appropriate(5) link veterans, youth and community members to mental, emotional and behavioral health assistance and services as measured by referrals monthly

“By teaching Mental Health First Aid to our Veterans, armed services members, their families, and community agencies, we are confident that we can make a significant impact by increasing awareness and connecting our population to mental, emotional, and behavioral health assistance,” says Delrita Meisner, Executive Director. Projects like MHAT help to increase awareness on suicide prevention. James Argento, Be Free Lake Chairman states that his uncle was a Vietnam veteran who killed himself in 1994. “I am glad that the county’s drug prevention coalition was able to secure this grant to where we can help families in our area hopefully avoid the pain that my family went through because of suicide”.The Coalition’s mission is to collaborate with community stakeholders to focus on the prevention of substance abuse and violence while providing opportunities for health and wellness among the community.