Emotional Toll of Opioid Crisis!!
Rushing to save a person's life, over and over again sometimes several times in the same day, is having devastating effects on those we seek to help us.
In Vancouver, Canada this is the story of many front line medical personal, fire, police, EMS and hospital emergency room professionals.
With over 1,200 persons dying in 2017 in Vancouver alone, of overdose deaths. The Mobile Response Team served almost 2,000 people that had overdosed and it is effecting first responders Traumatically (from a mental health aspect.)
There have been cases in both Canada & the United States, where front like workers themselves have needed medical attention of an overdose, because of residue from substances have effected them.
People no matter the training and years of experience of seeing person die, day in and day out (several times a day,) don't have the capacity, or ability to handle that much grief and loss.
Sometimes the people first responders are called to save a life, are members of their own communities...and trying to forget the faces of those that they have lost, is becoming impossible.
This is why I strongly believe and mandating that community support programs & resources are associated with:
"The Courage & Strength Games," for mental health.
As in any program/service that deals with public health, these programs are dependent on funding from governments...AND THE FUNDING TO SUPPORT THESE FRONT LINE WORKERS, IN VANCOUVER RUNS OUT IN JUST 3 YEARS.
When the persons who help us the most, need help, it is time for us to pull together as a community to help each other.
This is why I am founding these games, because:
Mental health is not Somebody Else's Concern and Issue, it is Everyone's Concern and Issue."
daniel pressello
founder