During the West Aveyron Community Council, MSA assistance was deliberated under the local health contract, which covers two pillars: first aid training and mental health first aid training.
The local health contract has set itself the ambition of strengthening the power to act on the health of the inhabitants of the West Aveyron Community by 2026 through, among other things, raising awareness of the inhabitants about first aid and care actions. The actions carried out should enable the inhabitants, in particular to develop their skills related to life-saving gestures and first aid and to have the ability to provide immediate support for mental health problems.
In 2022, this Local Health Contract had already organized training sessions in first aid, in particular but also in mental health, with a session on prevention of suicidal people.
New subsidized actions
Through the national system initiated by the MSA, the second social protection scheme in France, “Coupe de Pouce Prévention”, the mutual organization grants the Local Health Contract a subsidy for its 2022-2023 project: “health action in the territory West Aveyron Community: first aid and care”. These actions will result in the organization of training sessions in first aid gestures, as in 2022 with level 1 civic prevention and emergency training courses. The existence of accessible defibrillators on the territory will be further communicated. Finally, training sessions in mental health first aid will be organised.
In all, the contribution of the MSA to the financing of these actions amounts to 15,045 euros. €4,690 for first aid training with issuance of PSC1 (eight sessions for 10 people) and €10,335 for first aid training in mental health (three sessions for 12 people).
Mental health first aid, quezako?
Faced with the general population’s lack of knowledge about mental health, PSSM France strives to fight against the stigmatization of mental disorders, which constitutes a powerful obstacle to access to care, recovery, social and professional inclusion. To carry out its mission, the association has adapted the MHFA training program to the French context. (Mental Health First Aid) for which it holds a license for the entire territory. Created in Australia in 2000 by Betty Kitchener, educator who suffered from severe mental disorders, and Tony Jorm, professor of medicine, this program offers all citizens general training in mental health awareness and assistance.
It is scientifically validated : all of the knowledge presented in the training has been selected according to its level of evidence and international consensus, and it is regularly revised.
Mental health is a major public health issue, as evidenced by the health crisis and its consequences. The deployment of mental health first aid is on the government’s roadmap and is one of the 30 measures set out during the Mental Health and Psychiatry Conference. The goal is to train 750,000 mental health first aiders by 2030.
