New IAFF Behavioral Health Center Coming to California
The IAFF Center of Excellence on Behavioral Health in Maryland has become an indispensable resource to provide treatment and healing for firefighters facing post-traumatic stress.
Soon, that important service will be closer for California firefighters.
At the CAL FIRE Local 2881 Convention in Sacramento, IAFF General President Harold A. Schaitberger announced that a second IAFF Center of Excellence will be built and located in California.
"We're making sure that we're opening up the ability of our members to step forward and ask for help, and know that it's there and being provided," Schaitberger told the convention delegates.
“On behalf of 30,000 proud firefighters in California, I want to thank General President Schaitberger and our IAFF for bringing this singular resource to California, to serve those who are struggling with PTSI,” said CPF President Brian K. Rice.
The IAFF Center of Excellence is a unique treatment facility geared toward treatment of addiction, PTSI and other behavioral health challenges. The focus and design of the center, as well as the peer support it provides, is helping firefighters on the path to healing.
“The toll that the job takes on our members has only grown as the scope of the job – and the risks – have expanded,” Rice continued. “To have a Center of Excellence in the West gives our California firefighters a treatment option closer to home, and more tuned to their needs.”
Details about the new center, including its specific location and timeline for completion, are still being determined.