TAYLORSVILLE, Ky. (LEX18) — As the weeks go by, medical workers on the frontlines of COVID-19 have seen the very worst, while working through it to save lives and keep others safe. Veteran Jeremy Harrell knows that kind of mental and emotional turmoil can do to a person.
"Oftentimes, and I know this from my own experience, people who help others don't generally get the help they need because they're too busy being selfless, " Harrell said.
Typically, Harrell works with fellow veterans at the Veteran's Club in Taylorsville, where they have a nationally recognized equine therapy program, but for the first time, they are opening the program up to people fighting a different battle.
"It's a different kind of war, but it's a war, " said Harrell.
Harrell and the Veteran's Club are inviting frontline COVID-19 workers to take advantage of the equine therapy program to help them find the outlet and support that so many of them desperately need.
"We want folks to understand that it is okay to take care of yourself, " Harrell explained. "I had a mentor of mine tell me, 'Jeremy, when you get on an airplane, if you lose oxygen, one of the first things they tell you is to put the mask on yourself. That's so that you can help others.' That kind of resonated with me, and that's what we want these frontline workers to understand."
The offer is not just for medical workers, but for any frontline worker, including grocery clerks, mail carriers, sanitation workers, anyone who has worked to keep our communities going during the pandemic. All of it is free of charge.
"They can come out here any time they want to as many times as they want, and we just talk about how to de-stress, how to kind of re-set so they can go out and still be productive and save the lives each and every day, " Harrell said.
Harrell hopes that this program will bring these essential workers the same peace and tools to cope that he has gotten so that they can bounce back stronger than ever before.
"Take care of yourself first so that you can be the best for those who depend on you each and every day."
To learn more about the Veteran's Club, to book a session or donate head to www.veteransclubinc.org or contact them on any of their social media pages.
