DeWine awards over $1 million to wellness programs for first responders

COLUMBUS — Gov. Mike DeWine has announced he will award more than $1 million to statewide programs in efforts to maintain the wellness of first responders.

The $1.3 million will be awarded to three different statewide programs aimed at helping law enforcement and others who often respond to traumatic incidents, according to a release.

The three programs receiving grants are:

• Ohio Suicide Prevention Foundation will receive a grant of $593,950 950 to train first responder personnel in the evidence-based Question, Persuade, Refer suicide prevention curriculum
• First Responders’ Bridge will receive a grant of $445,000 to offer free, confidential retreats for Ohio first responders and their significant others who are experiencing depression, anxiety, and/or post-traumatic stress from tragedies and other job-related stressors
• Ohio ASSIST will receive a grant of $363,010 to conduct post-critical-incident seminars that address the mental wellness of Ohio’s first responder community

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The grants are part of Ohio’s First Responder Recruitment, Retention, and Resilience Program which will offer a total of around $75 million in funding for initiatives that support the mental, physical and emotional health of first responders as well as recruiting and retaining first responders.

“It’s the job of our first responders to care for others, but they must also care for themselves, and having easy access to confidential support is important,” DeWine said in a release. “From crime scenes to house fires to medical emergencies, our first responders face tragic circumstances on a regular basis, and the programs we’re funding today will help these brave men and women with the trauma they experience as a result.”

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