The city plans to open a VB Strong Center in October to provide continued care for victims of the Virginia Beach mass shooting.
The hub for resources, funded through a federal grant, will help provide free mental-health counseling for shooting survivors, employees, victims’ families, and first responders, among others. The grant will also help pay the city back for services it provided immediately after the May 31 shooting, which left 13 dead, including the gunman, and four others injured.
“It is really to help the community recover,” said Erin Sutton, director of the city’s Office of Emergency Management, which will help oversee the center.
This type of long-term service has become common in cities dealing with the emotional aftermath of mass shootings.
Following the tragedy, Sutton’s office coordinated most of the recovery efforts, including providing counselors at work.
Many city employees remain on edge after the deadliest shooting in Virginia Beach history, with some jumping at loud noises or constantly checking for exits when entering a new room, she said. It’s been tough for a lot of people to keep showing up to work.
The most common complaint from employees seeking help, Sutton said, is that they just want to stop being scared.
“Everyone is very heightened and some people are still very afraid,” she said. “We’re only 21/2 months out.”
The City Council unanimously voted on Tuesday to appropriate $3 million in federal funding for the project, which Sutton said will help get the center up and running as soon as possible. She said she was unsure how much the city has spent on services so far because much of it has been donated either for free or at a discounted cost.
The Department of Justice originally provided the $3 million, which was then routed to the Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services, according to city documents. The program can run for three years with the funding.
In Virginia Beach, officials are looking for office space in Landstown Commons, a roughly five-minute drive from the Municipal Center. The idea, Sutton said, was to have an easily-accessible location for the center, but one that offers privacy for those seeking care.
“Neutral territory was what we’re looking for,” she said.
Sentara Healthcare will manage and staff the center. Any services provided there will be confidential and free, said Kelsea Smith, a Sentara spokeswoman. And for those seeking help, there will also be on-site childcare. A 24/7 crisis hotline will be available for victims when the center is closed, like on nights and weekends.
Staffers will also help with referrals for other services outside of the center.
To prepare for the center to open in early October, Smith said, Sentara plans to start hiring and recruiting staff, which will include case managers, an operations coordinator, a community outreach specialist and a health and wellness coordinator, among other positions. She said jobs will be posted this weekend, and a hiring fair will be hosted next week.
The city expects more money will come from the Department of Justice’s Anti-terrorism Emergency Assistance Program, which has helped set up similar centers in other localities following tragedies. This grant funding could also help pay for additional active-shooter or CPR trainings in the future.
In Orlando, Fla., that program helped establish a long-term care center following the Pulse nightclub massacre, where 49 were killed and roughly 70 others were injured. The city recently vowed to keep it going even after federal funding ran out, according to the Orlando Sentinel. And in Las Vegas, an $8.3 million Justice Department grant helped open a resiliency center for victims of the music festival shooting, where 58 were killed and more than 600 injured.
Sutton said Virginia Beach has been in contact with both of those cities, getting tips on how best to set up such a service.
Some resources will still be provided at the Municipal Center for employees too, Sutton said.
But the new location will provide other alternatives for getting help. The options will include: support groups, one-on-one counseling, meditation, yoga classes, alternative therapy — like sitting down with a coloring book — or even just throwing a football around.
“We’re offering as many options as we can,” Sutton said.
Peter Coutu, 757-222-5124, peter.coutu@pilotonline.com
