SPOKANE, Wash. — More than 300 service members at Fairchild Air Force Base will now have a harder time accessing mental health and social services after the shutdown of a program that embedded mental health professionals directly into daily training.
The Air Education and Training Command (AETC) terminated the True North program on September 25, citing “workforce optimization reductions” in an email to program staff.
The decision eliminates a unique approach to mental health care that allowed service members to build relationships with counselors through daily interactions rather than traditional clinical appointments.
Jeffery Clark, the mental health professional who provided True North services at Fairchild, said the program was designed to address ongoing mental health struggles within the military.
“This program was created because there was a problem with suicide and a lot of the mental health struggles,” Clark said.
The True North program operated differently from conventional therapy by integrating mental health professionals into the routine training activities of military units.
“I’d go and fly on the helicopter one day and then go to the field with the SERE guys the next day, and then go to the resistance area and watch those interactions with those service members,” Clark explained.
This embedded approach allowed Clark to identify service members who might be struggling before problems escalated. As an Army veteran himself, Clark understood the reluctance many service members feel about seeking traditional mental health care.
“There are things that we have to work through that maybe we don’t want to go to the doctor for, but we just want to talk to somebody and be like, ‘Am I actually crazy or not?'” Clark said.
At Fairchild, Clark served the 36th Rescue Squadron and the SERE (Survivor, Evasion, Resistance and Escape) School, providing comprehensive support that extended beyond mental health counseling.
“If that service member needs mental health care, I will help them with mental health care. But, if they’re having trouble with housing, childcare or anything else, it’s my job to find those resources for them,” Clark said.
Every major command in the Air Force operates a True North program, but the dissolution of AETC’s version means the affected units at Fairchild no longer have access to this specialized service. Clark resigned following the program’s termination.
The loss of the program creates a gap in mental health services for the affected service members. Clark had to transfer his existing patients to the limited mental health staff available on base.
“I had to give my patients to the small crew that’s available to take it. And then all the other ones… more than likely, these coaching people, they just don’t have that person anymore,” Clark said.
The Air Force has not provided additional details about the reasoning behind the program’s dissolution or what alternative mental health resources will be made available to the affected service members at Fairchild Air Force Base.
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