NEWSWATCH SEVEN AT SIX. EXPERTS CALL IT A CRITICAL TOOL IN THE RECOVERY. ONE YEAR AFTER SEVERE WEATHER HIT MILLS AND HARRISON COUNTIES. GOOD EVENING. I’M ROB MCCARTNEY. I’M JULIE CORNELL. IT’S TRAINING THAT TEACHES PEOPLE TO RECOGNIZE THE SIGNS OF MENTAL HEALTH STRUGGLES AND TEENAGERS, ESPECIALLY AFTER NATURAL DISASTERS. KETV NEWSWATCH SEVEN’S QUANECIA FRASER WAS IN GLENWOOD FOR THE TRAINING AND HAS THE STORY. QUANECIA. ROB. JULIE. THE IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY EXTENSION AND OUTREACH OFFICE PROVIDES THIS TRAINING. $516,000 WORTH OF FEMA FUNDS PAY FOR THESE CLASSES THROUGH THE IOWA DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES. MOST IOWANS HAVEN’T FORGOT ABOUT THE TORNADOES AND FLOODS THAT 2024 BROUGHT. WHEN YOU NO LONGER HAVE YOUR YOUR NORMAL, YOUR NORMAL HAS BEEN STRIPPED AWAY FROM YOU. THAT’S HARD FOR THEM TO OVERCOME. GLENWOOD POLICE CHIEF ERIC JOHANSEN SAW THIS IMPACT. NOT ONLY ADULTS IN TOWN, BUT THEIR KIDS, TOO. THAT’S PART OF WHY HE TOOK PART IN THIS YOUTH MENTAL HEALTH TRAINING FOR MILLS AND HARRISON COUNTIES. I’VE NOTICED THAT YOU’VE, YOU KNOW, BEEN MISSING SCHOOL OR I’VE NOTICED THAT YOU’VE BEEN LATE TO PRACTICE FROM LAW ENFORCEMENT TO TEACHERS AND COUNSELORS THROUGH EIGHT HOURS, THE ADULTS IN THIS ROOM LEARNED HOW TO RECOGNIZE THE STIGMA BEHIND MENTAL HEALTH AND NOTICE SIGNS OF COMMON CONDITIONS LIKE ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION. MCKEE BALLARD IS A PREVENTION SPECIALIST AT HEARTLAND FAMILY SERVICES. ALSO, POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER, ADHD, EATING DISORDERS. THE TRAINING IS PART OF PROJECT RECOVERY IOWA, WHICH AIMS TO HELP COMMUNITIES DEAL WITH THE IMPACTS OF LAST YEAR’S NATURAL DISASTERS IN THE RURAL COUNTIES LIKE MILLS COUNTY OR HARRISON COUNTY. WE DON’T HAVE AS MANY RESOURCES AS WHAT WE WOULD LIKE TO, AND SO IT’S IMPORTANT FOR COMMUNITY MEMBERS TO BE ABLE TO STEP UP AND FILL THAT ROLE BEFORE WE’RE ABLE TO MAYBE CONNECT PEOPLE TO PROFESSIONAL RESOURCES. THE GOAL IS EARLY INTERVENTION TO HELP YOUNG IOWANS FEEL AND BE THEIR VERY BEST. THE IOWA DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES ALSO HAS RESOURCES AND TIPS ONLINE FOR PARENTS. WE’LL HAVE A LIN

Advertisement ‘Important for community… to step up’: Youth Mental Health First Aid Training in Glenwood, Iowa Editorial Standards ⓘ

The Iowa State University Extension and Outreach office held a Youth Mental Health First Aid Training in Glenwood Tuesday. The training teaches adults to recognize the signs of mental health struggles in kids and teens. $516,000 worth of FEMA funds pays for the classes through the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services.Most Iowans haven’t forgotten about the tornadoes and floods that 2024 brought.”When you no longer have your normal. Or, your normal’s been stripped away from you, that’s hard for them to overcome,” said Glenwood Police Chief Eric Johansen. Johansen saw this impact not only on adults in town, but their kids, too. That’s part of why he took part in the training for Mills and Harrison Counties. From law enforcement to teachers and counselors, adults learned how to recognize the stigma behind mental health in the 8-hour training. In addition to that, they learned to notice signs of common conditions like anxiety and “also, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, ADHD, eating disorders,” said Maggie Ballard, a prevention specialist at Heartland Family Services.The training is part of Project Recovery Iowa, which aims to help communities deal with the impacts of last year’s natural disasters.”In the rural counties, like Mills County or Harrison County, we don’t have as many resources as what we would like to, and so it’s important for community members to step up and fill that role before we’re maybe able to connect people to professional resources,” Ballard said.Iowa DHHS also has resources and tips online for parents. You can find that here. NAVIGATE: Home | Weather | Local News | National | Sports | Newscasts on demand |