The $375,000 grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration will cover three years of the "Finding Hope" project. Part of the training will teach police, firefighters and paramedics to recognize and respond to mental illness and substance abuse.

 The training will also teach first responders de-escalation techniques and where they can refer those with mental illness for treatment.

First responders can be certified in mental health first aid after the training. The goal is to get more people into treatment rather than having them end up in jail.

Youths and young adults will be emphasized in the training. According to the Tulsa Mental Health Plan, almost 8% of Tulsa area youth have a serious emotional disturbance. Three-fourths of mental illnesses appear by age 24.

About OrionNet Systems

OrionNet is an Oklahoma small business founded in 2001. OrionNet has designed, developed and supported applications created both for the client-server and web environments, as well as developing, marketing and supporting a commercial application for the counseling centers industry.

Visit the OrionNet Systems’ website, www.iorion.com, or their social media pages, https://twitter.com/ThinkHealth & https://www.facebook.com/pages/OrionNet-Systems/139352156150090 for more information.

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