Welcome to Fortitude
Substance Use & Mental Health Treatment for First Responders
Join fellow first responders in a specialty track designed to resolve substance use disorder and co-occurring trauma and behavioral health issues so you can get back to work, serving your community and saving lives.
What We Do
What Fortitude Can Help With
A bad call as a first responder is often traumatic. When these dangerous encounters add up over a career, they can become overwhelming. It’s okay to seek help. The FORTITUDE program can help first responders coping with:
Substance use and addiction
Problematic use, misuse or dependence on alcohol, opioids, stimulants and other substances
Co-occurring mental health conditions
Depression or suicidal thoughts, injury, burnout, anxiety, trauma, stress or grief
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and post-traumatic stress injury
Intrusive memories, flashbacks and nightmares
Our Program
Who Fortitude Is For
The FORTITUDE program welcomes anyone working in public safety (active or retired) who struggles with substance abuse or co-occurring mental health issues.
Law enforcement
Fire service members
Military Veterans
Correctional officers
Paramedics and EMTs
Emergency room personnel
Our Mission
Why We Created Fortitude
Due to the nature of their work, first responders are at a higher risk than civilians of struggling with behavioral health issues like PTSD, anxiety, depression and substance abuse. The FORTITUDE program is a specialty track at The Recovery Village™ Columbus and a part of Advanced Recovery Systems’ treatment facilities. We’ve treated over 1,800 first responders using evidence-based, trauma-informed care that addresses their unique experiences and struggles.
Having identified a significant need for culturally competent treatment providers for first responders, we developed the FORTITUDE program to provide high-quality, specialized programming to those in need.
First Responder Mental Health Statistics
- 20% of firefighters and 21% of paramedics meet criteria for PTSD during their career, compared to only up to 5% of the general population.
- 71% of firefighters report trouble sleeping, 65% have unwanted memories, and 19% have thoughts of suicide.
- On average, firefighters reported drinking alcohol ten days per month, or about half of their off-duty days.
Sources:
- Corneil, W. et al. “Exposure to traumatic incidents and prevalence of posttraumatic stress symptomatology in urban firefighters in two countries.” Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, April 1999. Accessed July 15, 2021.
- Mildenhall, Jo. “Protecting the mental health of UK paramedics.” Journal of Paramedic Practice, January 12, 2019. Accessed July 15, 2021.
- Jahnke, Sara A. et al. “Firefighting and mental health: Experiences of repeated exposure to trauma.” WORK, October 9, 2013. Accessed July 15, 2021.
- Nair, Vinita. “Struggling in Silence: Firefighter Survey Shows Startling Results.” NBC DFW, May 10, 2018. Accessed July 15, 2021.
- On average, approximately 15% of officers in the U.S. experience PTSD symptoms.
- A study in 2010 found the rate of suicide among police officers was four times the rate for firefighters, which is already higher than the general population.
- Over one-third of urban police officers report a binge drinking episode at some time during the past month.
- In a recent study, 8% of male police officers and 16% of female police officers reported adverse consequences from alcohol use, and 7.8% met criteria for lifetime alcohol abuse or dependence.
Sources:
- Violanti, John. “PTSD among Police Officers: Impact on Critical Decision Making.” Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, May 2018. Accessed July 15, 2021.
- Violanti, John M. “Police suicide: A national comparison with fire-fighter and military personnel.” Policing An International Journal of Police Strategies and Management, June 2010. Accessed July 15, 2021.
- Ballenger, James F. et al. “Patterns and Predictors of Alcohol Use in Male and Female Urban Police Officers.” American Journal on Addictions, January 2011. Accessed July 15, 2021.
- Between 11-20% of veterans who served in OIF (the Iraq War) or OEF (Global War on Terrorism) experience PTSD in a given year.
- Among soldiers surveyed during the Vietnam War, 7% were classed as alcoholics, 5% as borderline alcoholics, and 24% as potential alcoholics.
- More than one in three service personnel meet criteria for hazardous drinking or possible alcohol use disorder, with higher rates among men than women.
- Many veterans deal with pain management, which can put them at risk for opioid abuse and overdose. The overall opioid overdose rates of veterans increased from 14% in 2010 to 21% in 2016.
Sources:
- U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. “How Common is PTSD in Veterans?” Accessed July 15, 2021.
- Greden, J. F. et al. “Alcohol use in the Army: patterns and associated behaviors.” American Journal of Psychiatry, January 1975. Accessed July 15, 2021.
- National Institute on Drug Abuse. “Substance Use and Military Life DrugFacts.” October 23, 2019. Accessed July 15, 2021.
Our Program
Years of experience treating these professionals have made us industry experts on trauma-informed care for first responders. The FORTITUDE specialty track supports healing through:
First responder-only group therapy
Therapists who run these groups are specially trained in CPT for PTSD therapeutic interventions. CPT for PTSD groups is designed to process and normalize reactions to trauma and identify and replace dysfunctional thoughts.
EMDR treatment for eligible clients
EMDR helps people who have experienced trauma and all forms of negative events. This therapy alleviates mental pain and emotional recession, which can also lead to better outcomes for a substance use disorder.
A full continuum of care
The FORTITUDE track synergizes with medical detox, residential, partial hospitalization and intensive outpatient programs to tailor each patient’s care to their unique needs.
Family therapy
Weekly family therapy sessions address the roles family members play in addiction and PTSD and equip families with tools to support their first responder and find healing for themselves.
Experienced staff
Therapists in the FORTITUDE program are licensed mental health professionals trained in clinical interventions for first responders. Our curriculum is informed by years of experience working with this community to understand how they think, feel and work.
Vetted aftercare network
Our national database of therapists and aftercare resources are personally vetted so first responders can continue getting qualified, specialized care after treatment.
Want to know more
FAQs About Fortitude
Individual and family therapy sessions in the FORTITUDE program are first responder-specific, as well as some group therapy sessions. Mealtimes, recreational therapies like yoga, free time and activities held outside the facility are co-mingled with civilians.
The length of stay varies from client to client based on their recovery needs, level of treatment, progress and many other factors. However, the average length of stay for most residential clients is 35 days.
Yes, drug and alcohol detox is offered onsite and is the first step in recovery for most clients.
Currently, the FORTITUDE program accepts clients for substance use disorder and any co-occurring mental health conditions, but not for mental health needs alone.
We make every effort possible to place first responders with another first responder in their room. However, this cannot be guaranteed, per state regulations on level of care housing requirements. Each residential room has two beds.
Many insurance companies cover some or all of substance abuse treatment costs, including treatment in the FORTITUDE program. Our admissions team can help you verify what’s covered in your insurance and navigate the insurance process.
It can. Our admissions department and outreach team have experience navigating over 100 different worker’s compensation cases for first responder clients and look forward to the opportunity to help you navigate this process.