Resources for people affected by gun violence
The shootings in downtown Sacramento last weekend have prompted many concerns about the mental health of those directly affected and those in the wider community. If you or someone you love needs help coping with this horrific event or any other challenge, here is a list of mental health resources:
Those directly affected by the K Street shooting can come in and talk to the staff at the Family Assistance Center at Cal Expo run by the Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office and the American Red Cross. Victims of violence crime can apply for financial compensation at the California Victim Compensation Board. Watch this video to learn how the program works.
“We were all wounded as a community by this incident, and we will heal as a community from this incident through supporting one another through the healing process,” said Nina Acosta, program manager for the DA’s Victim Witness Program.
Acosta is helping coordinate resources at the Family Assistance Center, which provides a centralized location with community support, professionally trained trauma response crisis counselors, and victim advocates to assist families and other people impacted by this incident to be connected with supportive services. They have crisis counselors on-site to assist with emotional support and assessment of needs. Trauma and grief response symptoms can look very different for each individual. There are several documents with additional information linked in this blog post.
The Cal Expo Family Assistance Center is at 1600 Exposition Blvd. Sacramento, CA 95815. Visitors are encouraged to enter through Lot D. The center is open Monday through Friday from 8:30 A.M. to 5:30 P.M.
Signage and staff will be onsite to direct people to the location. Click for a larger PDF version.
Emotional Support and Care
David Bain is the Executive Director of the Sacramento office of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) and he shared that nationally, less than half of those who experience a traumatic event will seek help.
“Sunday morning’s mass shooting will spread a trauma response throughout our community. Family and friends of the victims, survivors of the event and those with their own trauma history may be triggered by the tragedy,” Bain said, “The brain needs support like the rest of the body. Our families, friends and neighbors need to understand that it’s okay to get help with their mental health.”
According to VictimsFirst.org, when seeking mental health therapy after a mass casualty crime, it is important that you connect with trained and licensed professionals who specialize in trauma and PTSD. This organization is a non-profit network of surviving victims of mass casualty events and trusted supporters. They encourage people looking to connect with with a PTSD therapist to use this database from Psychology Today. VictimsFirst.org also offers help navigating victim services on their website. They can be reached by emailing them at contact@victimsfirst.org.
The Northern California Trauma Recovery Network (NCTRN), a local affiliate of the National Trauma Recovery Network/Humanitarian Assistance Programs (HAP), is a trauma volunteer network of highly skilled mental health clinicians who have experience with Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Therapy or EMDR for short. This type of therapy focuses on changing how a memory of a traumatic event is stored in the brain and is distinct from traditional therapy in that is not focused on directly altering the emotions from the traumatic event. Most recently the NCTRN has been helping victims of the Camp Fire. The greater Sacramento region can connect with the NCTRN here.
Additional mental health resources available to anyone in the Sacramento
In addition the supports for victims and families of victims at the Cal Expo site below is a variety of mental health services that you can share with your network and encourage people to seek help.
Mental Health Urgent Care Clinic – (916) 520-2460
The Mental Health Urgent Care Clinic (MHUCC) provides services on a walk-in basis to individuals of all ages experiencing mental health crisis. The MHUCC is a client-centered program that focuses on providing immediate relief to individuals and families in distress.
Mon-Fri: 10am-7pm & Sat, Sun, & Holidays: 10am-6pm (last walk-in an hour before close)
2130 Stockton Blvd. Building 300, Sacramento, Ca. 95817
Consumer Operated Warm Line - (916) 366-4668
Just need someone to talk to? Individuals with lived experience offer supportive listening, referrals to mental health resources, and more. Monday-Friday, 9am-5pm
Mental Health Access Team - (916) 875-1055 or toll free (888) 881-4881
Over-the-phone assessment and linkage to appropriate mental health service provider.
Monday-Friday, 8am-5pm (24/7 for mental health crisis calls)
NAMI- National Alliance on Mental Illness - (916) 890-5467
Main NAMI Sacramento Helpline. This line is for peer / family resources and should not be used in a crisis. Calls are answered live between 9 am and 2 pm weekdays. If we are unable to take your call, please leave a message and we will respond to you as soon as we can.
Email: office@namisacramento.org
Sacramento County Community Support Team - (916) 874-6015
Helps connect individuals to County Mental Health Services from the field. The Community Support Team serves individuals of all ages and diversity in the community with interventions, education, navigation, resources and connection to services. The goal is to provide services in a culturally and linguistically competent manner to promote recovery, resiliency, well-being, and reduce the risk of suicide. They offer bilingual and bicultural staff at no cost.
Monday-Friday, 9am-5pm
Hope Cooperative Mental Health Crisis Respite Center - (916) 737-7483
Staffed 24/7 and serves any individual in Sacramento County who is at least 18 years of age experiencing a mental health crisis but is not in immediate danger to self or others. There is no medical staff at the Crisis Respite Center and participation is completely voluntary. All individuals utilizing the Crisis Respite Center are be eligible to stay for up to 23 hours and expect service based in compassion, understanding and knowledge. While at the Crisis Respite Center, the primary goal is to offer a stable and supportive environment so that the “guest” is better positioned to explore their crisis with a solution-oriented mindset. Every guest will leave with an individualized resource plan. If transportation to the CRC is an issue, the CRC staff may be able to help.
Mental Health First Crisis Line - (916) 670-4062
Fridays, Saturday & Sunday: 7pm-7am (overnight)
Suicide Prevention Crisis Hotline - Local: (916) 368-3111 & National: (800) 273-8255
24 hours/7 days a week
