Local organizations share mental health resources following Old National Bank shooting

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WAVE) - The community is reeling after Monday’s tragedy, calling on local mental health organizations and programs to help the people cope.

Monday’s tragedy has broken the hearts of a lot of people in this community with most wondering where to go from here.

Local organizations are answering the call to tend to those in need of support, whenever they’re ready.

The echo of guns and sirens are still etched in the minds of the people of Louisville days after the Old National Bank shooting.

A scene that hasn’t played out in Louisville since the mass shooting at Standard Gravure, more than thirty years ago.

A time when resources were scarce.

“We didn’t have all of these things. We didn’t even really know what trauma informed care was,” Office of Safety and Healthy Neighborhood’s Trauma Resilience Communities Program Manager Nannette Dix said. “We didn’t know how trauma impacts us mentally, physically and spiritually. We didn’t know that, but now we do know.”

OSHN’s TRC Unit is not only informed to help but has the resources and funds to offer free counseling for those impacted by violence, including Monday’s tragedy.

“And the sooner you get people into therapy, into counseling and just talking about it, the less likely you’ll have that impact of PTSD and things like that,” Dix said.

Trauma Antuan Sartin knows all too well.

Before he became a grief mentor for First Hour Grief Response, he survived being shot six times 5 years ago in Louisville.

So news of Monday’s violence brought back bad memories.

“I had a moment of PTSD where I instantly went back to that moment of what that looks like to be a victim of gun violence, a survivor of gun violence,” Sartin said.

Sartin now uses his experience to guide others through trauma.

A service First Hour is now offering for free for those impacted by the Old National Bank shooting.

“It’s going to be a lot of families who are grieving,” Sartin said. “There’s a lot of friends of those family members that are going to be grieving so we are going to be here to help them navigate through their grief.”

When it comes to the difference between the daily violence in Louisville and Monday’s mass shooting, these experts say it lies in the community impact and preparation.

“So we are used to doing what we do and we do it well, but you know it doesn’t mean that it doesn’t take a toll on us,” Dix said.

Starting at 6:30 p.m., OSHN is sending professional counselors to 17 different places of worship for what they’re calling a Citywide Night of Resilience.

Healing the office said we need to do together.

Copyright 2023 WAVE. All rights reserved.