Governor Mike DeWine




*FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:*
September 12, 2022




*MEDIA CONTACTS:
*Dan Tierney: 614-644-0957
Jill Del Greco: 614-644-0957






Governor DeWine Awards $1.67 Million
for?First Responder Wellness

(COLUMBUS, Ohio) ? Ohio Governor Mike DeWine today announced the first round of funding to be awarded to local first responder agencies as part of the new?Ohio First Responder Recruitment, Retention, and Resilience Program [ [link removed] ].

A total of 26 agencies will receive $1.67 million to help them support the wellness needs of law enforcement officers, dispatchers, firefighters, paramedics, and emergency medical technicians (EMTs).?

?Our first responders face the daily challenge of providing the highest level of response and care to Ohioans during traumatic circumstances, having little to no time to effectively process the stress brought on by these situations,? said Governor DeWine. ?We created this grant program to help our first responders take care of themselves so that they can continue taking care of others."

Map of Award Winners [ [link removed] ]

Entities receiving grant funding as part of the first round of the Ohio First Responder Recruitment, Retention, and Resilience Program are as follows:


* *Beachwood Police Department (Cuyahoga County): $29,750* for an employee assistance program and to provide access to an online wellness app for confidential support.
* *Beavercreek Police Department (Greene County): $23,629* for a wellness program coordinator, peer support team training, and access to an online wellness app for confidential support.
* *Bellefontaine Police Department (Logan County): $119,420* for wellness and fitness programming including nutrition consultations, physical therapy, and mental health wellness checks.
* *Brecksville Police & Fire Departments (Cuyahoga County): $14,800 *for fire department and law enforcement wellness plans.
* *Canton Police Department (Stark County): $124,400* for employee assistance program counseling services and a dedicated wellness coordinator.
* *Cleveland Department of Public Safety (Cuyahoga County): $310,000* to hire two therapists, provide access to an online app for confidential wellness support, and train mindfulness instructors.
* *Defiance County 911 Center: $25,000 *to offer a health and wellness program for employees.
* *Delaware Police Department (Delaware County): $34,800* for annual mental wellness checks.
* *Eagle Joint Fire District (Trumbull County): $1,974* to give employees and their families access to up to five free professional counseling sessions per year.
* *Grove City Division of Police (Franklin County): $12,400* for a peer support program.
* *Hicksville Police Department (Defiance County): $8,300* for peer support training, access to an online wellness app, and incident stress intervention.
* *Huron County Sheriff's Office: $63,172.04* to hire a wellness coordinator, offer trauma counseling, and provide access to an online app for confidential wellness support.
* *Logan Police Department (Hocking County): $20,293.54* to provide access to an online app that offers confidential wellness support and a wellness training module.
* *Lucas County Sheriff's Office: $38,720* to provide support sessions for employees focusing on wellness and disease prevention.
* *Mayfield Village Police & Fire Departments (Cuyahoga County): $173,340.40* for a comprehensive mental health, wellness, and physical fitness program for fire and police.
* *Miami Township Fire & EMS (Clermont County): $220,000* to hire a frontline behavioral health support specialist to work with police, fire, and EMS for various services including critical incident debriefing.
* *Montville Township Police Department (Medina County): $13,898.75* to offer a mental health program to staff and their families focused on wellness.
* *Pierce Township Police Department (Clermont County): $12,537.44* to make counseling more readily accessible and for officer training specific to stress management and psychological first aid.
* *Pleasant Valley Joint Fire District (Union County): $45,050* for a wellness and fitness initiative focused on medical examinations, fitness, rehabilitation, and behavioral health.
* *Scioto County Sheriff?s Office*: *$272,537.24* to hire a dedicated wellness coordinator and a staff clinician.
* *Sheffield Village Police Department (Lorain County): $19,500* to provide access to an online wellness app and online wellness courses.
* *Sidney Police Department (Shelby County): $22,000* for a wellness plan for both law enforcement officers and firefighters.
* *Springboro Division of Police (Warren County): $11,664* for wellness checks for police department personnel.
* *St. Clairsville Police Department (Belmont County): $5,200* to provide access to an online wellness app that provides confidential wellness support.
* *Vandalia Division of Police (Montgomery County): $13,000* to provide access to a health and wellness app that provides confidential support and an online library of wellness courses.
* *Youngstown Police Department (Mahoning County): $36,000* to provide access to an online wellness app that provides confidential wellness support.

The Ohio First Responder Recruitment, Retention, and Resilience Program, administered by the Ohio Emergency Management Agency, is offering a total of approximately $75 million in funding for initiatives that support wellness?programs addressing mental, physical, and emotional health issues unique to first responders; recruitment and retention efforts to restore workforce levels; onboarding and training costs; and explorer programs to engage young adults about first responder careers. Although this is the first round of funding to be awarded to local first responder agencies as part of this program, approximately $1.3 million was awarded to several statewide service providers in June [ [link removed] ].

The program is?funded as part of the $250 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding that Governor DeWine and the Ohio General Assembly dedicated to first responders [ [link removed] ] last year to help counter various pressing issues exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, including increased stress and decreased staffing levels.

Governor DeWine has also placed enhanced focus on the wellness of first responders through the creation of the Ohio Office of First Responder Wellness [ [link removed] ] within the Ohio Department of Public Safety. The new statewide office focuses exclusively on the well-being of first responders and provides specialized support and training to help emergency-response agencies proactively address post-traumatic stress and other traumas caused by factors that are unique to first-responder careers.

Other assistance for first responders developed by Governor DeWine since taking office in 2019 includes the creation of the?Ohio Narcotics Intelligence Center [ [link removed] ], Ohio School Safety Center [ [link removed] ], Ohio Office of Law Enforcement Recruitment [ [link removed] ],?Ohio Prisoner Extradition Reimbursement Program [ [link removed] ],?Ohio Body-Worn Camera Grant Program,? [ [link removed] ]Ohio Ballistics Testing Initiative [ [link removed] ], Ohio Crime Lab Efficiency Program, [ [link removed] ] Ohio Violent Crime Reduction Grant Program [ [link removed] ],?Ohio Court Backlog Reduction Program [ [link removed] ], and the new eWarrant database [ [link removed] ].?

*-30-*







________________________________________________________________________

STAY CONNECTED: Visit us on Facebook [ [link removed] ] Visit us on Twitter [ [link removed] ] Visit us on YouTube [ [link removed] ] Visit us on Instagram [ [link removed] ] ? ?

SUBSCRIBER SERVICES:
Governor.Ohio.gov [ [link removed] ] | Unsubscribe [ [link removed] ]??|??Help [ [link removed] ]

Bookmark and Share [ [link removed] ]

?

________________________________________________________________________

This email was sent to [email protected] using govDelivery Communications Cloud on behalf of: Governor DeWine Communications ? Riffe Center, 30th Floor, 77 South High Street ? Columbus, OH 43215-6117 GovDelivery logo [ [link removed] ]