The Community
Press Over 115 Years of Telling YOUR Story
Volume 116 Issue 47
www.thecommunitypress.com
Don’t leave crimes unreported, urges local RCMP Page 8
Wednesday, May 29, 2024 s
Humboldt Broncos crash survivor shares journey back to mental wellness Leslie Cholowsky Editor To kick off Alberta’s Rural Health Week, Flagstaff County, Flagstaff Healthcare Attraction and Retention Committee, FIRST, FFCS, Gibson Energy, and TC Energy sponsored three events featuring Tyler Smith and local mental health professionals, culminating in a Mental Health Summit at the Killam Community Hall, on Monday, May 27. Smith is a former member of the Humboldt Broncos and is a survivor of the April 5, 2018, Humboldt Bus crash tragedy that killed 16 people and left 13, including him, injured. The first presentation was held at the Daysland School, with students from Forestburg and Sedgewick also attending, with an audience of 320. After that, Smith travelled to Hardisty to speak to the Hardisty Terminal Group, as part of Mental Health Awareness month. There, he was joined by local healthcare professionals Tammy Lang, Donna Tindall, Shirley Damberger, and Karen Bovencamp Manning as part of a local mental health panel, speaking to approximately 100. Then Smith travelled to Killam where members of the health care sector and community supporters took place in a mental health summit, including dinner, with another 125 people. Flagstaff County Reeve Don Kroetch got things rolling Monday evening, by welcoming all and expressing his appreciation for local health care workers in the community. Then Flagstaff Healthcare Attraction and Retention Committee Chair Allen Dietz took the podium. Dietz said, “We offer our deepest gratitude to all the health care professionals that have worked tirelessly to keep our community healthy and safe. Your efforts have not gone unnoticed, and we are profoundly grateful for everything you do.” Dietz introduced two of four videos the committee has produced about healthcare centres in the Flagstaff County region, featuring the Daysland Health Care Centre and the Killam Health Care Centre. He said, “These videos are not just about the facilities themselves, but about the people who make them thrive.” He was followed by a short recorded message by Battle River-Crowfoot MP Damien Kurek. Dietz then introduced FIRST and FFCS Executive Di-
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Tyler Smith spoke at the Flagstaff Mental Health Summit held at the Killam Community Hall on Monday, May 27, after two previous presentations, in Daysland and Hardisty.
rector Lynne Jenkinson to moderate a panel of local mental wellness professionals working in the Flagstaff County Region, which included Shirley Damberger, founder and owner of HOM of Wellbeing in Daysland and Karen Bovencamp, Registered Counselling Therapist and Certified Human Services Professional in Alberta and a registered psychotherapist qualifying in Ontario. She is also the general family counsellor at FFCS. She next introduced Joanne Stewart, who has been a health promotion facilitator with AHS for 10 years. Next on the panel was Kim Ainsley, Registered Psychologist, and Christina Harvey, a health promotion facilitator with addictions and mental health through AHS. Each panel member brought a wealth of rural experience to the stage. Jenkinson asked panel members to describe what mental wellness services are available in the region, as well as how to access them. She then asked each panelist to describe the biggest barriers to seeking help with mental wellness. The answers included stigma, being too busy in our personal lives to schedule time for mental wellness, and just understanding that mental health is not always something we can see. “Physical and mental health walk hand in hand, think about it that way, and as part of our whole
being, I think we could do better at recognizing that we do need to attend to our whole health,” said Harvey. Other barriers in rural Alberta that were discussed included time constraints, travelling/distance, fatigue and frustration. Stewart talked about a survey presently being conducted by FCSS and FIRST and encouraged people to find it and complete it, either by picking up a survey at FFCS or going online at: redcap.link/MentalWellnessFlagstaffCounty Kroetch took a minute to thank Gibson Energy and TC Energy for their sponsorship of the events before introducing a Kaitlyn Brown from co-sponsor TC Energy to introduce Smith. Smith started his presentation with his own thanks to the health care industry, saying, “I have so much love and respect for you; I truly... I can’t even fathom how these last couple of years have been and you are some of the most selfless people I know. And the fact that you continue to do what you do, taking care of everybody else, is something that I will continually express my gratitude for, because I just appreciate you all so much.” Smith jokingly apologized that his fiancee Katt, partner in his Amazing Race Canada win, wasn’t present, telling Continued on Page 9
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