Southwest Colo. – CDPHE Office of Emergency Preparedness & Response (OEPR) is offering two free, in-person training opportunities, Psychological First Aid and Behavioral Health Field Response, at the La Plata County Sherrif’s Office in partnership with Axis Health System. Training will be held on January 18 and 19, 2024.
Psychological First Aid (PFA) is an evidence-informed approach that is built on the concept of human resilience. PFA aims to reduce stress symptoms and assist in a healthy recovery following a traumatic event, natural disaster, public health emergency, or even a personal crisis. The course focuses on a set of skills and principles that non-expert and expert disaster behavioral health responders can apply to help people reduce stress and increase functioning after a disruption. This approach helps children, adolescents, adults, and families. Individuals affected by a disaster or traumatic incident, whether survivors, witnesses, or responders to such events, may struggle with or face new challenges following the event. This training can benefit everyone.
Behavioral Health Field Response (BHFR) is an in-depth training to learn about how to engage in the field by learning the basics of behavioral health triage. BHFR builds on the skills taught in Psychological First Aid by teaching responders how their role fits into the larger disaster response and how to work alongside medical and other emergency responders in the wake of a crisis, emergency, or disaster. Learners must attend PFA as a prerequisite in the last 3 years.
Training will be held at the La Plata County Sheriff’s Office, 283 Girard Street, Durango. You must register to participate.
• Psychological First Aid: January 18th, 12-5 pm
• Behavioral Health Field Response: January 19th, 8 am-5 pm
Register online at www.train.org. If you need help with account creation, visit https://www.train.org/tutorials/. You can find the PFA course under “Psychological First Aid- Long Version” or from course ID 1020568, and Field Response Training under “Field Response Training Behavioral Health” or course ID 1019466
Axis is the state-designated Disaster Behavioral Health provider for 11 counties in southwest and Western Slope of Colorado.
Please contact Axis Health System via email at emailus@axishealthsystem.org or OEPR at CDPHE_DCPHR_DBHTeam@state.co.us.
for more information.
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Axis Health System is an experienced rural and frontier healthcare provider, established in 1960, and is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt nonprofit. Axis is a Licensed Behavioral Health Provider, a licensed Substance-Use Disorder Treatment Provider, and a Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) designated Community Health Clinic. Axis provides behavioral, oral, primary, and crisis healthcare.
For media inquiries or to arrange interviews, please contact:
Haley Leonard, Public Information Officer, Axis Health System, hleonard@axishealthsystem.org