Economic Relief Initiative grant awarded to Bowen Center - Noble County

United Way of Noble County has awarded Bowen Center an $11,000 Noble County Economic Relief Initiative grant to provide critical incident stress management and individual crisis counseling to staff in Noble County long-term care facilities. 

The grant will help cover counseling sessions for staff working in long-term care facilities who are struggling to cope with trauma and/or loss due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The grant will also help to provide those employees with Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM), an intervention protocol developed specifically for dealing with traumatic events. The educational process helps those involved in a critical incident mitigate the impact, aid recovery and provide opportunities for additional support services. CISM helps lower the risk of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, stress, anxiety and depressive episodes and helps participants better function at work, at home and in their relationships. 

“The pandemic has had a damaging impact on all of us and those working in long-term care facilities have been hit very hard,” said Kurt Carlson, Bowen Center president/CEO. “We are grateful to United Way of Noble County for investing in the mental health of these essential workers who are struggling to provide the best care possible to their patients through this crisis,” said Mr. Carlson. 

“These funds were made available to our community via Indiana United Ways and the Lilly Endowment Foundation” said Debi Pfaffenberger, United Way of Noble County president and CEO. “We (United Way of Noble County and Noble County ERI Fund Review Committee) are blessed and thankful to be able to provide nonprofit agencies & organizations serving Noble County residents with this opportunity for financial supports,” said Ms. Pfafffenberger. 

“The grant will help provide long-term care employees in Noble County the tools they need to weather the emotional toll the COVID-19 pandemic has had on them as they have cared for their patients,” said Breanna Jackson, Bowen Center director in Noble County. “This kind of support will have a lasting impact for them at work and at home and we are privileged to help them heal,” said Ms. Jackson.