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Potlatch, Idaho

The Idaho FORM project began working with Potlatch, Idaho in 2018. After a series of community conversations, the town of Potlatch helped develop the Idaho FORM Project as we see it today. Potlatch residents highlighted the current issues impacting rural mental health and issues specific to their town. Together, Dr. Richardson's lab and active Potlatch residents chose Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) and Question Persuade Refer (QPR), a suicide prevention program, classes as a foundational intervention. The Idaho FORM Project funding was used to send 2 dedicated Potlatch residents, Debi Swinney and Teresa Quimby, to Seattle for a week-long training to become certified MHFA instructors; they also completed the online training to become certified QPR instructors. They continue to offer these classes free of charge to Potlatch area residents. Their classes have been very popular; every class thus far has reached capacity, so be sure to check for future dates and sign up as soon as possible. Potlatch has truly made the project their own. It is absolutely a town of dedicated citizens, and we thank all of those who have engaged in community conversations and/or completed one or both of the classes. We sincerely thank Debi Swinney and Teresa Quimby for their dedication to changing the stigma about mental health. YOU ARE CHANGING LIVES!

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