Survivors of the May 16th tornado that killed 19 people in Laurel and Pulaski counties aren’t the only folks there facing mental health challenges. That’s according to Natalie France, a psychiatric and mental health nurse practitioner for Heartstrings Wellness in London. She said first responders, including dispatchers, may also have a hard time dealing with what they experienced.
“It's really easy for us to put all those terrible things that we experience in one way or another into a box and just kind of leave it there, um, but eventually that it catches up.”
France, a former emergency room nurse, said she and her colleagues have reached out to patients who live in the affected areas and offered extended hours. She said some lost everything, are dealing with a great deal of grief and are just trying to survive.
“A lot of them, it's not really set in, like, they've not had time to, like, even catch their breath, because they've been rummaging, trying to find all their belongings, and, like, figure out where they're staying, and navigate their insurance, like, all that, all those things that come with it.”
France said she hopes anyone struggling with their mental and emotional well-being after the tornado don’t let the stigma of asking for help keep them from doing so.
