Emergence Health Network’s Crisis Intervention Team and its response on August 3, 2019
EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) -- Five years later after the tragic Cielo Vista Walmart shooting, Borderland law enforcement agencies and first responders are working to improve mental healthcare for residents.
The Emergence Health Network (EHN) works closely with all local agencies to care for members of the El Paso community and help to divert those with mental illnesses away from unnecessary incarceration and into appropriate treatments for their behavioral health needs.
According to the EHN's website, the City of El Paso, El Paso Police Department, County of El Paso, and the El Paso Sheriff's Department EHN established the Crisis Intervention Teams (CIT).
When the Walmart shooting happened back in 2019, multiple first responders assisted and helped residents who were at the Walmart and dozens more who were looking for their family members at local hospitals.
The Director of the Crisis Intervention Teams, Kristen Weindorf was called to University Medical Center that day; she barely joined the team in 2019 months before the shooting happened.
Director Weindorf was at the emergency room and ICU where she spoke with people's family members who were going there to find loved ones thought of being at Walmart.
These events relating to mass casualties could mentally harm local communities like El Paso.
"They can experience symptoms of depression, anxiety, PTSD; again, even if they weren't physically at Walmart, just because it's something that happened in their community," Director Weindorf said.
"Something I love about El Paso is it's such a close-knit community, everybody is so welcoming here. It doesn't matter where you're from, if you're from here, if you're not, if you're visiting, if you're you just moved here a day ago and everybody's so welcoming," Weindorf added.
ABC-7 also spoke with the Chief of CIT, Rhonda Russ who also started working for the team in 2019. She was sent to the command post that was placed right next to Walmart where different agencies and first responders were that day.
"This is not something that any of us are ever going to get over. We're going to grow, we may heal. As Kristen has said, it takes all of us. We heal at different levels, we heal at different times, and part of that healing process might be, as that anniversary is coming up, we might feel sad and allow ourselves to feel sad," Chief Russ said.
Experts like Weindorf and Russ said and advised the community to not be silent and if anyone needs help, to reach out because it is very easy to feel alone in situations like this.
Anyone who needs help from EHN can call the crisis hotline at 915-779-1800 or at 988. Service is available seven days a week, 24 hours a day. Or visit the Crisis Emergency Services at 1601 East Yandell in Downtown El Paso.
