‘Resiliency Center’ offers free services to those affected by East Palestine train derailment

EAST PALESTINE, Ohio (WKBN) – The ribbon was cut Monday for the East Palestine Resiliency Center followed by an open house hosted by the Columbiana County Mental Health and Recovery Services Board which is operating the new center.

Located in a former doctor’s office on Route 14 across from the well-known welcome sign is the East Palestinian Resiliency Center offering free services for anyone living in four zip codes around East Palestine, who worked in the village during the derailment, or first responders who assisted.

“This building is here to kind of help people and lend a hand to people, to help them get back in whatever way works for them,” said Executive Director Marcy Patton.

They describe it as a holistic approach with a massage room, a children’s room, and a room for yoga, including counseling and support groups.

“It’s bouncing back but it’s also preparing you for what’s to come and treating people — the whole person,” said Project Director Dianah Fabry.

Ashleigh Davis is a psychotherapist who provides Cedric — a support dog at the center.

“Well, it’s been turbulent, yes. So as the anniversary, there was a lot more community conflict and internal issues and then the settlement came and so it’s been sadly fascinating to watch,” Davis said.

Norfolk Southern provided $600,000 to buy the building. A federal grant to provide the free services expires Dec. 31 — but they hope additional money will be available.

“Another part of the grant is that we develop an app and database that we are using to track what services are people being offered, outcomes, how many people are we reaching. So, we’re keeping a lot of data,’ said Patton.

The long-term plan for the East Palestine Resiliency Center is to make it a full-service mental health and recovery facility serving everyone in Columbiana County.

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