A grant helping provide mental health services for emergency workers has been awarded to the Arukah Institute of Healing in Princeton. They’re working with the Peru and Princeton Police Departments to improve wellness and reduce the risk of suicide in first responders and their family members in LaSalle, Bureau, Putnam, and Marshall Counties. Princeton Police Chief Tom Kammerer says he noticed the need for mental health services for first responders in the Illinois Valley after working in Naperville where they are more readily available. He says he has lost friends and coworkers to suicide over his 29 years in law enforcement.
Kammerer the program called Vigilant: Protecting Those Who Protect Us will also have a 24/7 phone number for emergency workers to call anytime. The program also included an anti-stigma campaign to encourage first responders and their families to reach out.