Posted: | January 20, 2015 11:41 AM |
---|---|
From: | Representative Thomas P. Murt |
To: | All House members |
Subject: | Mental Health First Aid USA Training Program to be Accepted as Continuing Education for Licensees |
In the near future I will be introducing legislation to require the licensing boards under Department of State’s Bureau of Professional and Occupational Affairs (BPOA) to give credit to licensees for completing the Mental Health First Aid USA training program. Mental Health First Aid USA is a 12-hour course that helps individuals identify, understand and respond to signs of mental illnesses and substance abuse. It is cooperatively managed and disseminated by the National Council for Community Behavioral Healthcare, the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene and the Missouri Department of Mental Health, and is taught by certified instructors nationwide. About 22 of the 29 licensing boards and commissions under BPOA currently require completion of some amount of continuing education for license renewal. My legislation will not mandate completion of the Mental Health First Aid USA program, but it will mandate the board or commission accept and give credit toward its continuing education requirement if a licensee does complete the program. |
Introduced as HB999