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County reports 160 attend mental-health wellness event for first responders; naloxone kits and community partnerships highlighted
Summary
County health staff and partner organizations reported that a first-responder wellness event April 5 drew about 160 attendees and included resources such as naloxone kits, family supports and peer-support programming.
Representatives of the Miami County Mental Health Initiative and Miami County Health Department told the commissioners April 16 that a first-responders-focused wellness event held April 5 drew about 160 people and included roughly 30 organizations from the region.
Organizers said the event’s goals were networking, peer support and connecting “helpers” (emergency responders and their families) with resources. Event organizers distributed about 50 naloxone kits, provided a family resource table with discipline-specific resources for children and families, and offered childcare, meals and other supports to reduce barriers to attendance. Sponsors, volunteers and planning partners included local law enforcement, the Veterans Administration, Crosspointe Church, Osawatomie State Hospital, and local school and community groups.
Organizers said they funded speakers and materials through a suicide-prevention grant administered by the health department and used opioid-settlement funds for other costs; they reported coming in under the originally presented budget. The county received donated services such as photography and engraved speaker gifts, and community partners contributed raffle scholarships worth about $3,500.
Deputy Chief Matt Gamblin (EMS) and other presenters described the event as impactful: Gamblin said the event and its speakers provided tools for prevention and recovery and that his personal experience underscored the event’s value to first responders and families.
Commissioners asked whether similar events occur elsewhere; presenters said comparable programs exist in other regions but that this event’s focus on first responders and the provision of childcare and family participation were notable and uncommon. Organizers said they hope to secure additional funding to hold similar events in the future.
No action was required; the presentation was informational.
