The City of Huntington on Wednesday, June 12, unveiled a new program that aims to provide first responders with self-care tools that will improve their ability to cope in high-stress situations.
The program, known as Compass, is funded through a $1 million award that the City of Huntington received in October 2018 from Bloomberg Philanthropies’ U.S. Mayors Challenge. The yearlong competition challenged city leaders to uncover and test bold, inventive ideas to confront the toughest challenges faced by cities today. Huntington was one of nine U.S. cities to receive $1 million to begin implementation of their solutions.
Huntington leaders saw the competition as an opportunity to address compassion fatigue within its ranks of police officers and firefighters. Compassion fatigue is a condition characterized by a lessening of compassion over time among individuals who work directly with trauma victims. This can negatively affect a first responder’s morale, wellness, family life, job satisfaction, mental health and client sympathy.