The winding path to recovery after the shootings

It has been five years since the Sandy Hook tragedy and time to take stock. The Newtown-Sandy Hook Community Foundation continues to distribute thousands of dollars monthly to address the mental health needs of those who suffered from the event. In addition, it continues to provide grant support for many nonprofits whose mission has been to provide ongoing support to the Newtown community in dealing with the tragedy. Many wonderful nonprofits have grown in Newtown and remain active in their efforts to provide care, education, and advocacy around mental health issues, gun violence, and victim support. Additionally our state passed enlightened gun legislation. While the nation continues to struggle with a meaningful response to avert tragedies such as this, there are a few memories worth mentioning.

First, in the immediate aftermath, the outpouring of support in every possible form was overwhelming and heartwarming. Not only was Newtown showered with money and teddy bears, but also volunteers from around the country. Our emergency department received numerous calls of support. It was a stunning testament to the human capacity for kindness and aid, but managing the inundation became a full time occupation in itself.

Support came from multiple local institutions, not the least of which was the state, in the form of the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services, but also the Department of Education and the Department of Children & Families. I recall immediate meetings of how best to support the needs of the victims, students, their families, the teachers and the communities. Clear divisions were established so that we were not working at cross purposes. But support was most welcome from local agencies such as Family and Children’s Aid, Newtown Youth and Family Services, and Wellmore. Finally, Yale University and the Connecticut Psychiatric Association all pitched in. It made staffing the Reed Intermediate School easy in providing these invaluable services to the town.

Second, in the aftermath, as the shock wore off, and the air had cleared and the press and volunteers left, raw emotions remained. This was the most challenging time. The real work of building capacity and responding to need took on a daily, workman-like feel. It is similar to that time when the injury is over, but the pain and need to push through it with a recovery plan remains. There is no easy way around it. It is here when local organizations took root, such as Sandy Hook Promise, the Newtown Action Alliance, the Resiliency Center of Newtown, and the Newtown-Sandy Hook Community Foundation. It is here where there is risk for raw emotion to become fixed and where the need to avoid long-term debilities requires the most persistent effort.

Finally, a long-term recovery plan continues to evolve. It has been a slow process, with many fits and starts. It has not been easy, and it has not been universally admired. Everyone recovers in their own manner. It is a long and winding road, and each path seems to accommodate only a handful of travelers, so that many must be created if one is to meet as many needs as possible. And even when one thinks one is on the right path, one can find oneself lost again, as if the path turns in on itself without warning.

As Tolstoy wrote in Anna Karenina, “All happy families are alike, each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.” It is the work of the community to find each way that needs to be paved for each family, if recovery is to be possible. I believe our community has attempted to do that, and I am proud of that fact.