HCQU NW News

To access our trainings, go to https://northwesthcqu.learnupon.com.

 March 27, 2023  Our Annual Summer Event is back.

Our annual event is back and scheduled for Wednesday June 14th at the St. Pauls Center in Sheffield, PA.  More details and registration information will be posted soon, so be sure and save the date.

May 24, 2022.  Should I dial 911 or not?  New Fact Sheet Available

Have you ever been in a situation where you wondered if you should call 911 or not?  We now have a fact sheet that can help you determine the answer.  Designed primarily as an aid for helping someone with IDD better understand when it is okay to call 911 an

April 12, 2022.  2022 Speaker of the Month Schedule.

We are excited to welcome Shawn McGill back as our first Speaker of the Month for 2022. Please join us April 20, 9:30 – 11:30am, as Shawn talks about Building Awareness in the LGBTQIA Community and Understanding Gender Identity.  Click here for more information on this training and Shawn.

February 15, 2022. 

New on-demand webinar available, and coming soon - Internet Safety trainings for individuals.

The Fatal Five (Plus) is now available as an on-demand webinar, worth 1.5 training hours. The training consists of the recording of Tim Juliano's June 24, 2021, webinar, along with the handouts provided to webinar attendees, followed by a 10-quiz.  With an early rating of 4.8 stars, this is sure to be a popular training.

Internet Safety for Individuals is a series of short videos on various aspects of internet safety. We currently have modules on Tricky People, Identity Theft, Phishing, Fear Tactics, and Romance Scams, which we plan to begin offering in March 2022.  Amy Tobolski's February webinar was an introduction to these modules for support staff, providing tips on how they can help the persons they support navigate the internet safely.  This webinar will be available as an on-demand webinar this month.

September 8, 2021. 

New on-demand webinar and 3 new home-study trainings available.

Romance Scams on-demand webinar, with Alan McGill, Pennsylvania OAG. (1.5 hours)

• Presented by Supervisory Special Agent Alan McGill of the Pennsylvania Office of the Attorney General, this program is designed to help Pennsylvanian’s identify some of the dangers of Romance Scams, red flags and ways to protect yourself and help a loved one. The program discusses:

  • Social media use and potential dangers
  • Common Red Flags associated with these groups
  • Catfishing
  • Online predators who target adults
  • Tips on how to recognize potential problems
  • Tips on how to deal with a friend or loved one who has fallen victim to this scam

Home-study Trainings:

• Documentation (1 hour)
• Nonverbal Communication (½ hour)
• Sleep and Sleep Disorders (Updated August 2021) (1 hour)

August 23, 2021.

New On-Demand Webinar:  Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD).

Seasonal Affective Disorder is a form of major depressive disorder that affects approximately 2% of the population and is more common the farther you live from the equator. Some symptoms of SAD may surprise you, such as someone feeling worthless or excessively guilty, having decreased productivity at work, a seeming lack of interest in self-care, being abnormally irritable or anxious, or generalized complaints of pain.  

In this webinar, recorded January 28, 2021, Amy Tobolski looks at symptoms and risk factors of SAD, the differences between SAD and depression, and how to help someone who experiences seasonal affective disorder.  Recorded January 28, 2021.

June 23, 2021.

National Hydration Day

To commemorate National Hydration Day, Milestone HCQU Northwest put together a short video on some of the benefits of being adequately hydrated.  Check it out here;

We also released a new On-Demand webinar training worth 1.5 hours on Dehydration/Hydration.  This is the recording of Tim Juliano's June 3, 2021, webinar.  After watching the approximately 1-hour video, you will have to pass a 5-question quiz to get credit for this training.  Go to the Milestone HCQU Northwest Training Center to access this on-demand webinar.

Happy Hydrating!

February 23, 2021.

New On-Demand Webinars Available

PA Medical Marijuana Webinar with Beth Bittner and Megan Hoffman.

Pennsylvania Medical Marijuana (MMJ) webinar is now available as an On-Demand Webinar, as well as  on YouTube.  If you would like to learn more about Pennsylvania's medical marijuana program, as well as how it might help someone in your care, please check out our webinar, "Understanding How Medical Marijuana May Benefit Those You Care For" on YouTube.  Beth Bittner of Solevo Wellness, a dispensary, and Megan Hoffman of Point of Caring PCH, discuss the process for getting a patient or caregiver MMJ card, aspects of various types and components of medical marijuana, and examples of how MMJ has helped improve the lives of people with intellectual disabilities. 

If you would like training credits for watching this video, the on-demand webinar is worth 1.5 training hours.  The video is just under 1 hour and 20 minutes long, and you will have to pass a 5-question quiz to get your certificate worth 1.5 hours. If you don't have time to watch the entire video in one sitting, you can leave the training and come back to it without losing your place in the video. There is also a handy notes page you can print for reference and to help with the quiz.

Reactive Attachment disorder/disordered attachment

As we gain greater understanding of Reactive Attachment Disorder (RAD) in childhood, we learn more about the effects of disordered attachment into adulthood in terms of how individuals define themselves and relate to others. Learn about normative attachment & how it develops, as well as the immediate & long-term consequences of disrupted attachment. We will explore attachment issues related to people with I/DDs and learn ways to help modulate the effects of disrupted attachments.

This webinar was recorded January 22, 2021.  Presented by Amy Tobolski

To enroll in these, or any of our online trainings, visit http://northwesthcqu.learnupon.com. From the Catalog, you can filter courses by type to find what you're looking for quickly.  

 June 8, 2018

   Mental Health First Aid

It seems as though barely a day goes by that we don't hear of another person completing suicide. This begs the question, "Are more people completing suicide now than in years past, or are we just hearing more about them?" According to a report released by the CDC today, the answer is that the number of people completing suicide has risen by as much as 30% in many states since 1999.

Suicide (attempted or completed) is something that has very likely touched your life in some way and may have left you wondering if there had been anything you could have done to prevent it. When I think of all of the people who have completed suicide in recent years, (including high-profile celebrities such as actors Lee Thompson Young and Robin Williams; Soul Train's Don Cornelius, musicians Mindy McCready, Chris Cornell, and Avicii; and just this week, designer Kate Spade and chef/TV personality Anthony Bourdain), I have to wonder if someone might have been able to reach them and help them choose another path if only they had had some training on how to recognize the signs and what to do if they thought someone might be contemplating suicide.

Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) is such a training.  We offer both the adult and youth versions of MHFA. These trainings are worth 8 training hours, which we can do over one 9-hour day (allowing for breaks and lunch) or two 4-hour days.  

What is Mental Health First Aid? 

According to the official website (https://www.mentalhealthfirstaid.org/), "Mental Health First Aid is an 8-hour course that gives people the skills to help someone who is developing a mental health problem or experiencing a mental health crisis. The evidence behind the program demonstrates that it does build mental health literacy, helping the public identify, understand, and respond to signs of mental illness."

Who might benefit from becoming MHFA certified?  Everyone! Anyone can #BeTheDifference to someone in mental health crisis: a coworker, coach, spiritual leader, friend, nurse, teacher, police officer - the list is endless!  The key is in knowing what to look for and what to do and say if they suspect someone is at risk of self-harm.

If you would like to learn how to #BeTheDifference, please contact us about scheduling an MHFA training, or visit the official MHFA site (https://www.mentalhealthfirstaid.org/) to see what trainings are coming up in your area.  In addition to a listing of upcoming trainings, the MHFA USA site has several ideas on how you can help make a difference in the life of someone in crisis, including videos on how to have "The Awkward Conversation" with someone when they tell you they're not okay.

If enough of us educate ourselves so we are more prepared to help someone in mental health crisis, hopefully we can help put an end to suicide.

If you are personally in crisis or thinking of harming yourself, please call 911 or the Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1 (800) 273-TALK (8255).

HCQU NW Newsletters

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