McHenry Times

The McHenry County Mental Health Board recently said it has joined a partnership with the Cary Police Department and the McHenry County Behavioral Health Foundation to support mental health first aid certification.

The board said Cary Deputy Chief of Field Operations Scott Naydenoff will be attempting to gain mental health first aid certification. Following certification, he will be carrying out training for public safety officials on responding to mental-health related calls.

The McHenry County Sheriff’s Department and the Mental Health Board are also going to be working with Breach Point Consulting, an organization that specializes in physical, mental, emotional and spiritual support for law enforcement officials. This organization will also be able to provide law enforcement with information on potential consequences of the culture of law enforcement.

This kind of training focuses on crisis management and defusal in cases with a subject that has a mental illness or those with a reliance on illegal substances and to be able to respond to a case in an appropriate manner that is in line with safe operational procedure.

The board also said that individuals with mental illness and substance abuse disorders are overrepresented in criminal cases.