Governor Mike DeWine
*FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:*
December 13, 2022
*MEDIA CONTACTS:
*Dan Tierney: 614-644-0957
Jill Del Greco: 614-644-0957
Governor DeWine Announces Fifth Round of
Wellness Support for First Responder Agencies
(COLUMBUS, Ohio) ? Ohio Governor Mike DeWine announced today that 72 local first responder agencies will receive a total of $28 million to help support the wellness and staffing needs of Ohio's first responders.?
The grants represent the fifth round of the? Ohio First Responder Recruitment, Retention, and Resilience Program [ [link removed] ]. To date, Governor DeWine has awarded $49 million to 219 Ohio agencies as part of this program, which aims to address burnout caused by understaffing and overall job stress.
?We?ve had a great deal of interest in this grant program, and it?s good to see that so many first responder agencies prioritize employee wellness,? said Governor DeWine. ?These grants provide agency-specific support to help first responders remain on the job so that they can continue to keep Ohioans safe.?
A total of approximately $75 million will be awarded to law enforcement agencies, dispatch centers, fire departments, and emergency medical services agencies?as part of the program.
________________________________________________________________________
Wellness Grants R5 [ [link removed] ]________________________________________________________________________
*SUMMARIES: Wellness Grant Awards Round 5* [ [link removed] ]
________________________________________________________________________
The Ohio First Responder Recruitment, Retention, and Resilience Program is administered by the Ohio Emergency Management Agency. The program awards 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. The $75 million in funding to be awarded as part of the program includes?approximately $1.3 million that 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.
________________________________________________________________________
*MORE: Wellness Grant Awards by County (Rounds 1-5)* [ [link removed] ]
________________________________________________________________________
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] ]
