Gov. DeWine Launches Ohio Office of First Responder Wellness

Governor Mike DeWine recently announced the creation of the Ohio Office of First Responder Wellness to focus exclusively on the well-being of these professionals. It is a new division within the Ohio Department of Public Safety's Office of Criminal Justice Services. 

The Office of First Responder Wellness will encourage self-care and mental wellness for Ohio’s first responder community, including law enforcement, fire, emergency medical services, dispatch, corrections, and Ohio-based military. It will provide 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.

The office director will be Steven Click, who served with the Ohio State Highway Patrol for 36 years and has been active in peer support since 1993--twice deployed to New York City after 9/11 to work with the New York Police Department's peer support team. Recently, Mr. Click was a liaison between first responders and the Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services. 

According to Blue H.E.L.P., more than 940 first responders nationwide have taken their own lives throughout the last five years, with the majority of those deaths involving law enforcement officers. More officers die by suicide than in the line of duty, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, and compared to the general population, law enforcement officers report much higher rates of depression, PTSD, burnout, and other anxiety-related mental health conditions. Research also shows that stress from a career in law enforcement causes higher rates of secondary trauma, such as heart diseases, divorce and alcoholism.

The Ohio Office of First Responder Wellness will partner with local and state mental health agencies, including the Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services, to offer continuing, comprehensive resources to first-responder entities across the state.