Counseling center set up in Killeen Posted On: Saturday, Nov. 7 2009 05:40 AM By Hailey Persinger
Killeen Daily Herald

As the death toll rose Thursday afternoon at Fort Hood, the number of those emotionally affected by the tragedy mounted as well.

To help Central Texas residents cope with the deaths of the 13 soldiers and the hospitalization of 30 more, the city of Killeen has enlisted the help of representatives from the Texas Department of State Health Services, the Salvation Army, the Red Cross and Victim Relief Ministries. The specialists set up shop Friday at the Killeen Community Center at 2201 E. Veterans Memorial Blvd. to lift some of the weight from the hearts of Central Texans.

While 13 families of Fort Hood soldiers are grieving the loss of loved ones, countless others are experiencing the aftershocks of Thursday's events. Chad Berg, emergency management and homeland security coordinator for the city of Killeen, said counselors are willing to help anyone affected in any way.

"This is for responders, this is for citizens," he said. "You don't have to be in the service."

The center currently does not have a set ending date for counseling. Instead, they will be on hand for as long as it takes to make sure each affected Central Texan is taken care of emotionally.

"We're going to assess and coordinate with Fort Hood," Berg said. "If there's a great need, the resources are here."

Hilary Shine, Killeen's executive director of public information, said the center was just another step taken by the city, concerned residents and friends focused on lightening the emotional burden of their neighbors.

"The community at this point is saying 'what can we do,'" she said. "It appears that though the incident itself is over, we're now dealing with the trauma of the people who weren't necessarily involved but impacted."

As the shock begins to wear off and residents start to heal from the impact of Thursday's shooting, Killeen City Manager Connie Green said the city staff will work with residents to be sure every person in need of help – in whatever capacity that may be – feels comfortable asking for it.

"This is a very close knit community," he said. "We are there to support our soldiers and members of their families in this time of need and we would just like them to know that whatever they need all they need to do is just ask."

Contact Hailey Persinger at haileyp@kdhnews.com or (254) 501-7568.