FORDYCE, Ark. — In the wake of Friday’s mass shooting at the Mad Butcher grocery store in Fordyce, mental health professionals are now offering tips and services to help those who may have been impacted by the tragic incident.
"Just to be an ear for the community members after they've experienced the traumatic experiences that we all went through together on Friday,” said Lesley Ford, Behavioral Health Director at the Dallas County Medical Center.
She works less than a mile away from where the shooting took place and said that they've held several community events since last Friday’s tragedy— all aimed at making sure people are okay.
"Several of the local faith-based leaders in town, and then several licensed counselors from our community and a little bit outside of our community, have come in to assist and just meet with people and be an ear for them,” Ford described.
She added that after an event like a mass shooting, mental health services shouldn’t be neglected. Even for people who don’t think they need them.
"You may feel like well, I'm okay, but it's kind of the weeks that follow after the loss of a loved one or a traumatic experience where moving forward becomes difficult," she explained.
If you don't want to seek professional help, you can find other ways of coping, like talking with loved ones. However, there may come a time when you need to consider other options.
“If you have this prolonged sense of grief like you just don't know how to move forward without your loved one, then those are symptoms and signs that you might need to seek professional help,” Ford said. “And we're here."
Above all, Ford stressed that while events dedicated to mental health aren’t always available like they have been the past few days, her office is.
“We’re always available,” Ford said. “Just a call away."
For those looking for help or someone to talk to, the Dallas County Medical Center can be reached at (870) 352-6300.