By: Karen McLouth and Greg Watterson, Capacity Path Relief Board of Directors
Following on the heels of a highly successful “Wellness Oasis” event at ground zero for Hurricane Sally in Baldwin County, Alabama last month, the Capacity Path Relief healthcare volunteers were invited to the Escambia County EOC to offer their caring hands and hearts to those in need of some major stress relief. The Capacity Path team included the help of many amazing volunteer Licensed Massage Therapists and a Chiropractor (see names below). A creative, pop-up “Wellness Oasis” was set up at the EOC to offer massage, chiropractic services, and resilience training to the emergency management staff, first responders, dispatch team, and EMTs, who welcomed them with open arms after weeks of extreme schedules in the aftermath of back to back storms. The timing was perfect, the results and responses were overwhelming!
The popular Wellness Oasis event was held during National Massage Therapy Awareness Week and endorsed by the FSMTA (Florida State Massage Therapy Association) and is a platform for Capacity Path Relief to help bring awareness and relief to those on the front lines during catastrophic events.
“We hope to be able to continue to provide these events for all our responders to help alleviate stress during this critical time,” says Amie Readdy Leigh, Director of Training for Capacity Path. Amie and her team work with survivors, public agencies, first and secondary responders, and businesses and focus on providing informed care, tools, and training to help those affected by trauma.
The Wellness Oasis event was attended by almost 200 emergency management team members. Their smiles and thanks were heartfelt and uplifting as they tried to find time from their busy schedules to enjoy a short and much needed massage or adjustment.
“It felt good to give something back to our first responders and make a difference for them after all they do to serve our community. Most of them have not spent any time focusing on themselves as they have been working around the clock,” said Amie.
Our appreciation and thanks to our dedicated practitioners and staff, for their service. We just love our Board of Directors and are so grateful to them always for their leadership, compassion, and insight. Special thanks to the Florida Board of Massage Therapy, and the Florida Massage Therapy Association, and Jocelyn Daniel all of whom made this event possible and a success!
