A national advocate for the mental health of those in uniform has announced a partnership with Essex County.
Wounded Warriors Canada, a mental health non-profit organization that provides emotional support to police officers, firefighters, paramedics and others in uniform who are affected by on-the-job trauma, is entering into an agreement with Essex County and the Canadian Mental Health Association of Windsor Essex County to provide improved access to programs touting mental wellness.
The partnership was announced Tuesday at the Essex County Building, with Essex-Windsor EMS Chief Bruce Krauter, Essex County Warden Gary McNamara, LaSalle Fire Chief Dave Sutton and Deputy Mayor Crystal Meloche, and the CMHA taking part. First responders, some wearing red, also attended the announcement.
First responders typically see events that may have a long-lasting, negative impact on their mental health. With that, Wounded Warriors Canada executive director Scott Maxwell said it's more important than ever that those who serve know where to find the support they may need.
"What we're seeing from this is even though our programs are already available to first responders nationally, we're hoping that these kinds of announcements and collaborative relationships help drive the access forward," said Maxwell.
There has been a renewed push in recent years to raise mental health awareness, but Maxwell said a partnership such as this will bring things to a new level and make it easier for first responders to find help. One key element of this improved access is resiliency training, which first responders undergo either in their new hire training or as a refresher course. Maxwell said this has been an eye-opener for many in uniform.
"After we started to put first responders through our trauma-based programs, the residential programs, they're coming out of them saying 'Wow, this is transformational stuff here,'" said Maxwell. "But it's like drinking from the proverbial firehose a little bit because we have never been exposed to this kind of education."
The CMHA of Windsor Essex County already has programs in place for mental health awareness among first responders. Information on those programs is available on their official website.
