DALLAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--While the end of the pandemic seems to be in sight, the mental health issues caused by the trauma and stress this past year are far from over and in fact, on the rise within the veteran, first responder and health care communities.
One Tribe Foundation, formerly known as 22KILL, is launching new programs, services and facilities to address today’s growing mental health issues including depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and suicide.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), suicide was responsible for more than 47,500 deaths nationally in 2019, which is about one death every 11 minutes. During the same period in North Texas, One Tribe Foundation (operating as 22KILL) provided 7,082 counseling sessions. In 2020, the number of sessions increased by 30% with 2021 sessions trending as much or more.
One Tribe Foundation’s new, 5,000-sq.-ft. facility in Dallas will enable the Foundation to serve more veterans, first responders and now medical frontline workers and their families. Plans call for One Tribe Foundation to expand its successful programs to other regions in the country beginning in Texas in 2021 and across the Southwest in 2022.
“We’ve simply outgrown the 22KILL moniker. When we started this mission, it was centered around the epidemic of suicide plaguing our warrior community. We’ve done much more than we ever thought possible as 22KILL, but we’ve learned that these mental and emotional issues are human issues, not just military and veteran issues,” said Jacob Schick, CEO. “The mental and emotional wellness space is consistently evolving, considering the demand for people seeking help throughout our country and the world. We feel it is an absolute necessity to evolve in order to meet this need. Why One Tribe Foundation? One Tribe, meaning the Human Tribe.”
“Since 2014, we have successfully treated thousands of veterans and first responders while making great strides towards destigmatizing the subject of mental health in these communities. We remain passionately committed in our mission to combat suicide by empowering veterans, first responders, medical frontline workers and their families through traditional and non-traditional therapies,” Schick said.
To celebrate the new expansion of facilities and programs, One Tribe hosted a launch celebration on Tuesday, June 22, 2021 at the newest Dallas facility located at 13621 Neutron Road, Farmers Branch, TX 75244.
Special dignitaries attending the One Tribe Foundation launch and dedication event, representing support from the military, first responder and health care communities, included:
- Major General Jim Williams, USMC (RET)
- Manny Ramirez, President at Fort Worth Police Officers Association
- Chief Jim Davis, Fort Worth Fire Chief
- Jay Frasier, MSN, RN, Administrator at Springwood Hospital, Texas Health Resources
Among the clients sharing their stories and experiences at the One Tribe launch event were:
- Daniel Frey, a former firefighter/paramedic with McKinney Fire Department, who has participated in 22KILL’s Stay The Course Program for two years while navigating cancer, divorce, financial struggles and retirement from the fire service. He started his own company and then lost it because of the pandemic. He continues to fight through his issues with the help of One Tribe clinicians in Fort Worth.
- ShaRonda Calderon, who lost her husband, Homero Calderon, on June 29, 2018, to suicide. He was an 18-year veteran with the Dallas County Sheriff’s Department. A few days after her husband's burial, their son walked into the room and said, "Mom, I found a way to hug my dad again.” The boy then told his mother he would see his father again, "if I kill myself." ShaRonda and her children continue to receive therapy through One Tribe which gives them hope and continued recovery.
The One Tribe Foundation launch celebration event was hosted by Natalie Woods Stanyer, TV personality and former Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader.
One Tribe Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to serving those who run toward the fight. The One Tribe Foundation provides services to the veteran, first responder and health care communities through a myriad of programs including Stay The Course, Tribal Council, Forge, Wind Therapy, WATCH, and White Star Families. Each of these programs, combined with some of the best clinicians in North Texas, all serve to deliver on the One Tribe Foundation’s mission to combat suicide by empowering veterans, first responders, medical frontline workers and their families through best-in-class traditional and non-traditional therapies. For more information, please visit www.1TribeFoundation.org or contact AshleyKamrath@1TribeFoundation.org.
