The CEO of Lawrence’s Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center testified before congressional staffers in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday about the importance of training public safety officers on how to properly deal with people with mental illnesses.
David Johnson testified about the success Bert Nash has had in providing the training to law enforcement officials in Douglas County. In 2008, Bert Nash became one of the first places in the nation to offer the first-aid program and has since trained more than 1,000 community members. The eight-hour course helps participants better understand mental illness and addiction, in the hopes they can intervene in crisis situations before they escalate.
