Tina Andrade, the new president and chief executive officer of Catholic Charities Hawaii. The Maui News/Gary Kubota

Recognizing the Lahaina wildfire has had a profound impact on first responders, the nonprofit Catholic Charities Hawaii has been providing counseling and other mental health support to crisis workers at the newly established Maui Support Center at St. Anthony School in Wailuku.

“It’s going well. Our team has been able to provide much needed help to families and individuals,” said Tina Andrade, the new president and chief executive officer of Catholic Charities while visiting Maui on a work trip Tuesday.

Andrade said she recognizes the stress involved in trying to assist others dealing with this traumatic situation and the significant impact that it can have upon crisis response workers’ well-being.

Andrade, who was appointed recently to her post and was a teacher at St. Anthony’s High School in Wailuku in the 1990s, said the counseling services are available to others as well.

Mental health counseling services are also available at the counseling center on the grounds of the temporary Sacred Hearts School in Kaanapali.

Catholic Charities also has provided financial aid to wildfire survivors.

Andrade said the organization saw an opportunity to lend a helping hand during a time of need.

She said maintaining the mental well-being of wildfire survivors and of those assisting them is an important priority for us, as well as providing other forms of assistance.

According to a World Health Organization article on mental health in emergencies, almost all people affected by emergencies will experience some form of psychological distress.

Along with Catholic Charities Hawaii Maui Support Center, there are other resources available for Maui’s frontline public servants.

The Maui County Fire Department, said currently there are several support programs available to the firefighting community.

The department said the county, the department and the firefighter’s union have programs, and there are others that run completely outside of the system but are geared to the unique needs of the first responder community.”

The Maui Support Center is one of those programs. It was made possible through a grant from the American Red Cross.

With both individual and group support sessions hosted in a secure, positive environment, the sessions at the center are structured to equip caregivers with essential tools and emotional support.

Hawaii Red Cross regional communications official Matthew Wells said the organization was grateful for the opportunity to collaborate and the grant to establish Catholic Charities Hawaii Maui Support Center does just that.

To culminate the creation of the venture, a blessing ceremony conducted by the Rev. Monsignor Terrence “Terry” Watanabe was recently held. The center is open to all first responders residing on Maui.

For more information on how to register for services, contact the Maui Support Center at (808) 743-6141.