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A need to talk in tragedy’s wake

Specialized team helps first responders

STRUTHERS — A multiple shooting, such as in Struthers last week that resulted in the death of a 4-year-old boy, “shakes the very fabric” of people, said Toni Notaro, coordinator of the Mahoning County Critical Incident Stress Management team.

This specialized team is comprised of mental health professionals and first responders who work with safety forces and others who encounter what can at first seem an insurmountable tragedy.

Adding more concern is when that trauma occurs close to home.

Also, the impact can be amplified during a pandemic, when anxiety is already heightened, said Notaro, who also is compliance and evaluation director at the Mahoning County Mental Health and Recovery Board.

“We suggest … talk to someone right away,” she said.

Just talking about an incident, or anything that makes someone feel anxious, is important, Notaro said.

“The more we resist something, the more it will push back,” she said.

THE EVENT

During shootings on Monday, Rowan Sweeney died in his mother’s arms.

Four adults were hospitalized. They are Alexis Schneider, 22, of Struthers, Rowan’s mother; Cassandra Marsicola, 20, of Campbell, who called 911; Yarnell Green Jr., 30, of Youngstown; and Andre McCoy Jr., 20, of Youngstown.

Kimonie Bryant, 24, of Struthers, is accused of barging through the front door at 111 Perry St. just before 2 a.m. Monday. He is charged with aggravated murder and is at the Mahoning County jail without bond.

The motive has not been disclosed.

In the aftermath, the city as well as neighboring communities have banded together to show support and remember the boy. The house is a now memorial with candles, stuffed animals and other tokens.

Community members and Rowan’s future stepfamily joined together to decorate the Lowellville Road bridge near Yellow Creek Park to show support for the family.

A park being discussed in Rowan’s memory is helping his father, David Sweeney, through the grieving process, family members and city officials said.

Talking about the impact of trauma can lead to new ventures, such as the park idea, that help people gain a different focus, other than stress.

“It’s amazing. … Because of this, the possibilities that have opened up — like with this playground,” Struthers police Chief Tim Roddy said.

Kendall Williamson, Rowan’s future step-uncle, said justice for Rowan “is to see kids smile.”

STRESS MANAGEMENT

Simple acts of kindness can help people start a conversation about their mental health, Notaro said.

“Being kind, reaching out or starting a conversation” can be the most important first step, she said.

As programs such as critical incident stress management are offered, Notaro said first responders will take the opportunity “and run with it.”

The Boardman Police Department, for example, has utilized CISM as an immediate resource, police Chief Todd Werth said. He explained that sometimes, when first responders don’t seek help, it can impact personal well-being and lead to other problems.

“In severe situations, it can impact their attitude to where people are less caring, and it’s easier to lose professionalism,” he said.

The stress can occur, he said, from one serious incident or several over a span of years.

Werth explained that a trained professional is usually on hand at a debriefing — which is what police, firefighters, dispatchers, ambulance personnel and others in the field attend after a traumatic episode.

“You have true experts” from the mental health board, Werth said, “guiding the process” which is led by first responders with training to be on the team.

The meeting is not a place where people go and stay quiet: “It’s not a bunch of officers with their arms across their chest” sitting in silence, Werth said.

Instead through the peer-led debriefing, “the interaction is a lot more open.”

Discussing what a first responder sees and experiences at a traumatic call, understanding what happened, and what to expect in the near future can usually be expected at debriefings, Werth said.

COUNSELING

On Wednesday, some first responders from Struthers attended a debriefing with Compass Family and Community Services, Roddy said.

One thing Roddy said tends to happen is, more experienced first responders learn to compartmentalize — therefore not always attending counseling sessions.

Still, the opportunity to talk to someone is extended to them, he added.

While the Struthers Police Department does not have its own police chaplain, Roddy said he has reached out to local clergy and neighboring chaplains, whom he said have always assisted. “They’ve always helped in whichever way they could.”

Werth and Roddy said their departments have an employee-assistance program, which helps colleagues recognize warning signs of stress after trauma.

It’s not only first responders who might need help.

With access to news outlets readily available, Notaro said people tend to “live vicariously” through media — making it “easy to internalize” information for people who do not know victims or responders.

As a way to deal with the anxiety, she suggests “keep talking,” whether to family, friends, a professional or clergy member.

The Help Network of Northeast Ohio is a 24-hour, seven-day-a-week resource, Notaro said, that is available to anyone.

Visit helpnetworkneo.org for more information.

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