‘Ottawa’ Capital-to-Capital Mental Health Bike Tour Begins in Ottawa
A 15-day cycling tour from Ottawa to Washington, D.C., kicked off from Parliament Hill to increase awareness about post-traumatic stress disorder and other stress-related injuries first responders might face as part of their jobs.
- Ontario gives first responders workplace insurance for PTSD
- Ontario nurses left out of new provincial PTSD legislation
Karen Hamilton, a flight nurse from Virginia, is one of 80 people taking part in the 1,538 kilometre Heroes Are Human Capital-to-Capital Bike Ride.
Flight nurse Karen Hamilton is one of 80 people taking part in 1,500-kilometre bike ride from Ottawa to Washington, D.C., to raise awareness about the mental health of first responders. (CBC)
Hamilton and her husband worked at ground zero in the aftermath of 9/11, she said.
“It’s really hard. You need to talk about it. Talk to your family, talk to your friends, don’t hold everything in,” she said. “We have to help ourselves, too. We have to take care of ourselves.”
She added it’s especially difficult for first responders to leave the job at work when their shifts are over.
“We do it because we care about people and we want to take care of people,” she said. “You get close sometimes to your patients. We’re human, too. Just like anybody else.”
Ontario legislation passed in April makes it easier for first responders to claim insurance benefits for work-related PTSD, but the province’s 60,000 nurses were excluded from the bill.