BOARDMAN, Ohio – A new wellness center dedicated to helping first responders confront mental and physical health issues is under development, Boardman Township Police Chief Todd Werth announced in a news release.
The Clarence R. Smith Family – Mahoning Valley First Responder Wellness Center will serve an important function for the 58 first responder agencies in Mahoning County, while also supporting other surrounding agencies in adjoining counties, he said.
Property for the project was donated by the family of the late Clarence “Sonny” Smith, a longtime Boardman Township resident and former president of Compco Industries. Its location on Rauppe Avenue is ideal for providing a central site to serve first responders from across the region.
The Smith center will partner with area mental health organizations and is not intended to replace existing services, behavioral health treatment or existing agency wellness programs.
Instead, the new center will augment these initiatives by providing a place for first responders and their families to attend proactive wellness programming. Agencies, no matter their size, can share resources, programming and area subject matter experts serving area first responders in area communities.
Boardman trustees have committed $253,000 to the improvement of the existing residence and grounds, while the Board of Mahoning County Commissioners approved an additional $464,000 of opioid settlement funds to complete Phase I of the project. A nonprofit agency is being formed to run the wellness center to facilitate coordinating wellness training, education and services.
First responders – police, fire, emergency medical services and dispatchers – face an increasingly dangerous and traumatic work environment, the release said. These issues carry over from the workplace and affect first responders and their families after both immediate critical incidents and prolonged exposure to trauma.