FirstNet, Built with AT&T, Acts on Responder Mental Health Crisis; Commits to Scaling Boulder Crest Foundation’s First Responder Posttraumatic Growth Training

Struggle Well training initiative built on the science of Posttraumatic Growth; seeks to transform how responders thrive in the face of daily trauma

BLUEMONT, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Boulder Crest Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that develops and delivers Posttraumatic Growth (PTG)-based programs to transform the lives of first responders and veterans, announced today that FirstNet^®, Built with AT&T, will become the exclusive sponsor of its First Responder Initiative, helping it scale nationally over the next two years.

FirstNet is built with AT&T in public-private partnership with the First Responder Network Authority, an independent agency within the federal government. It is the only nationwide, high-speed broadband communications platform dedicated to and purpose-built for America’s first responders and the extended public safety community.

AT&T created a First Responder Health and Wellness Program in May 2020 to focus on “Being there” for responders. “The rates of PTSD, depression and anxiety among public safety personnel far exceed the rates of the general population. We are focusing resources on the system change needed to protect this community,” said Dr. Anna Fitch Courie, DNP, RN, PHNA-BC, Director, Responder Wellness, FirstNet Program at AT&T. “We are incredibly proud to support Boulder Crest’s groundbreaking effort to build a comprehensive, effective, and scalable approach to the wellbeing of first responders.”

Boulder Crest’s First Responder Initiative focuses on transformative, PTG-based training programs designed to train first responders how to thrive during and after a career under extreme stress.

After years of success with thousands of military service members, the first responder initiative launched a pilot in Florida and Arizona in partnership with major police and fire rescue departments. Since the beginning of 2021, Boulder Crest has trained more than 1,400 first responders in the principles and practices of posttraumatic growth, and how to struggle well.

One notable partnership is underway to train first responders from 37 departments within the Miami-Dade County Association of Chiefs of Police (MDCACP).

“The Struggle Well training has been immensely beneficial to officers from across Dade County,” said Chief Rene Landa, MDCACP President. “I am heartened that this training is going to be made available to more of my brothers and sisters across the country.”

“As a nation, we have a responsibility to honor the brave service of these men and women by ensuring they can live great lives – during and after their time in service,” said Josh Goldberg, executive director of the Boulder Crest Institute for Posttraumatic Growth. “The First Responder Initiative is doing precisely that, and we are incredibly grateful for the generosity of AT&T, which will enable us to scale nationally.”

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