Walk-in center offers help following shooting
Anyone affected by Aug. 4 shooting can seek assistance around area.
All week in the Oregon District, a walk-in center will be open with support and information about local resources to anyone affected by the Aug. 4 mass shooting.
Montgomery County Alcohol, Drug Addiction & Mental Health Services, working with the city of Dayton, the Montgomery County Prosecutor’s Victim Witness Division and Public Health — Dayton & Montgomery County, said in a statement that it extended the operation of the Recovery & Resiliency Center to be open all week.
Connor Betts, 24, of Bellbrook, opened fire shortly after 1 a.m. Aug. 4. Nine people were shot to death before six Dayton police officers killed Betts less than a minute into his shooting rampage. Dozens more were injured, some shot, others hit by debris or hurt while fleeing the gunfire.
Mental health professionals say it is normal to feel anxious, angry or grieving in the days following the mass shooting, even for people who weren’t downtown.
The Recovery & Resiliency
Center will be open noon to 6 p.m. through Friday in the carriage house located directly behind the Trolley Stop, 530 E. Fifth St., according to ADAMHS. Signs will direct those visiting the center to the side entrance.
The Ohio Crisis Response Team will have trained specialists available at the center to make referrals to services.
If you need immediate mental health assistance, you can call Samaritan CrisisCare at 937-224-4646.
Free walk-in psychological first aid services are also available for adults affected by the mass shooting, provided at the Reach Out Clinic and Wright State University’s Ellis Human Development Institute.
Ellis Institute, at 9 N. Edwin C Moses Blvd., Dayton, is offering free services 1 to 4 p.m. Mondays; 1 to 4 p.m. Tuesdays; and 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Fridays.
The Reach Out Clinic, 25 E Foraker St, Dayton, next to Miami Valley Hospital, has free walk-in services 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Thursdays. Call Ellis Institute at 937-775-4300 or Reach Out at 937-258-2000 with questions.
“People are resilient. Most people are going to recover from this and be OK,” Jeff Cigrang, associate professor of psychology at Wright State University, said last week.
But some people may have a harder time finding their new normal and may need to seek professional help. “Some people tend to get stuck in their recovery and it kind of stops,” Cigrang said.
Those most at risk are the ones who suffered the most trauma exposed to death or injury or “people who thought I am going to die at this moment,” he said. Also vulnerable are those who were already dealing with some other kind of loss or challenge and “this is kind of a very big straw in a series of very different things,” he said.
He said if there is a high level of distress that persists for a week or two, “that may be a good sign they need help.” If they seek help, he added, it’s best to make sure to ask for a provider with expertise in trauma-related conditions.