Almost $900K to East Palestine to support community health, resilience

EAST PALESTINE — An emergency grant has been awarded to the Ohio Department of Mental Health to support community health and resilience in East Palestine as they are dealing with the aftermath of the Norfolk Southern train derailment, a spokesperson from U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown’s office said.

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The state requested additional funding to address immediate and ongoing behavioral and mental health needs in the area.

The funding will also be used to expand and enhance the capacity of local crisis response systems, the spokesperson said.

The emergency funding total is $879,509.

“East Palestine is the type of community that’s so often forgotten or exploited by corporate America. I’m going to fight as long as it takes to make sure residents get the support they need to make their community whole,” U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) said.

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The EPA, CDC, and NIH have been pushed to conduct long-term health monitoring and further research on the short and long-term health effects of the derailment, the spokesperson said.

FEMA has been called on to approve Governor Mike DeWine’s Major Disaster Declaration request to unlock additional resources from the federal government to address the needs in East Palestine.

The United States Department of Agriculture has been asked to work with the farmers to address their agricultural priorities in the area, the spokesperson said.

Brown and other government officials have continued to hold Norfolk Southern accountable for the damage done in East Palestine and other communities across Ohio.

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