SAN ANTONIO – One person was killed, and three were wounded after a shooting on Wednesday at a shopping mall in El Paso. The news brought back traumatic memories for many, with mental health teams from San Antonio on their way to support those affected.
The tragic events hit the same community where 23 people were killed in a mass shooting at a Walmart more than three years ago.
Teams from The Ecumenical Center for Education, Counseling and Health are heading to El Paso to provide on-site services following the recent shooting.
“Our first dispatch team is going to be a team of four, and they’re very experienced,” said Mary Beth Fisk, CEO and executive director of The Ecumenical Center.
The team of four will be providing immediate and ongoing trauma-informed mental health care. Fisk said that support consists of crisis counseling and resources, particularly where the shooting occurred.
Wednesday’s gunfire added to the dozens of people already killed this year in mass shootings across the country.
The Ecumenical Center responded to almost every major event in affected Texas communities.
“We previously responded to El Paso back in 2019, just as The Ecumenical Center was summonsed, and went into service in Sutherland Springs in 2017 and then again most recently in Uvalde, Texas,” Fisk said.
She said meeting the needs of the El Paso community is important, but assisting those directly affected is even more critical.
“It’s heartbreaking to hear that there’s more families, that there’s another community that’s going to experience this injury, this victimization,” Fisk said.
The center will also have a secondary team ready to deploy on Monday, as the first team is expected to return on Sunday.
Fisk added that the San Antonio crews understand El Paso has its resources but want to augment anything they need and ensure those providing support are getting what they need.
Mental health counselors at The Ecumenical Center understand that recent events in El Paso may be triggering to many and remind our San Antonio community that they are here to assist.
“It’s important to reach out for help, have a trusted friend. If you start seeing yourself have signs of depression and anxiety, which might look like sleeplessness, excessive crying, which might look like overeating and undereating. There’s so many different signs and symptoms, it’s important to reach out and make sure you’ve got the assistance and a kind ear who can listen. It’s critically important,” said Fisk.
For more information on how to get help, visit www.ecrh.org or call 210-616-0885.