As of April 13, 2020, the Psychosocial Emergency Service of the German Red Cross (GRC) in Hesse will offer a daily telephone hotline and mail service for all Red Cross emergency personnel and volunteers who are seeking advice and support. Specially trained professionals answer the calls, listen in and, if desired, arrange further therapy offers. The highest priority is confidentiality and secrecy. Experienced and qualified personnel from numerous GRC district associations in Hesse have volunteered to work on the hotline. The Psychosocial Emergency Service for Emergency Personnel acts as a competent contact partner. They provide psychological first aid, arrange further therapy, and carry out prevention work in their GRC communities.
Norbert Södler, President of the German Red Cross in Hesse, welcomes this offer: “We are all in a pandemic situation whose further development is difficult to assess. Our emergency personnel i.e. in nursing homes, in the rescue service, and in many other areas of work are exposed to a very high level of stress. This can trigger fear and anxiety. At the German Red Cross, we help not only others but also ourselves. I therefore expressly welcome the newly established PSNV-E Hotline. Here we offer our Red Cross members an important, anonymous contact point and can provide psychological first aid.