Saturday marks 30 years since the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in downtown Oklahoma City. The attack killed 168 people and injured hundreds more, leaving an emotional scar on the city, state and nation.

In response to the overwhelming trauma, the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services created Project Heartland, a mental health recovery program that became a national model for how communities support survivors after mass tragedies.

A First-of-Its-Kind Recovery Effort

Project Heartland was the first large-scale trauma recovery initiative of its kind, offering support to more than 8,800 people in the months and years after the bombing.

The program served survivors, first responders and grieving families. It also opened the door for the broader community to seek help, recognizing that trauma touches people far beyond the front lines.

Redefining Mental Health Support

Licensed psychologist Kathy Thomas, who worked with Project Heartland and later became the clinical director for Warriors Rest Foundation, says the program transformed the way we think about trauma.

“Historically, we looked at mental health services as being for people with more chronic issues,” Thomas said. “We didn’t really recognize the general public—or first responders—as being deeply affected by events like this. But they are.”

Project Heartland helped normalize the idea that anyone impacted by tragedy deserves support and that early intervention can make all the difference.

A Legacy That Lasts

Even three decades later, the lessons of Project Heartland remain relevant. Thomas says the trauma from the bombing didn’t simply go away. It became woven into the fabric of Oklahoma’s history.

“They had the foresight to recognize what people needed and acted quickly,” Thomas said. “We owe a huge debt of gratitude to Project Heartland for what it provided back then, when the rest of us didn’t know what to do.”

Continuing the Conversation

Thomas says one of the most important things people can do is continue talking about their experiences, whether that’s with a trusted friend, a mental health professional or through resources like the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services.

How to Get Help

If you or someone you know is struggling, visit the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services or contact a licensed counselor in your area.

Q&A: More from Kathy Thomas about Project Heartland

Q. With the establishment of Project Heartland, why did it become crucial that mental health services and trauma response become more available to everybody?

A: "Well, first of all, when the bombing happened, I mean everybody in the state essentially was impacted as well as the country. Nothing had happened like that up until that point. So I actually live in Stillwater and had a private practice there, and so when the bombing happened, I just felt, and my colleagues felt, the need to help, to do something. So we contacted a colleague in Oklahoma City, and they told us where we could go to volunteer our services. The importance of that is everybody is human, and nobody is immune from the impact of trauma and grief. The whole city was consumed with that at that point in time, and so even if they were not directly in the building at the time or directly first responding and directly helping on scene, they knew somebody. So, historically, we looked at mental health services as being for people with more chronic mental health issues and things like that, and did not really look at the general public and particularly first responders as being impacted by those events, and they are. So Project Heartland offered them the opportunity to be able to start processing the drama early on instead of letting it kind of fester for a while."

Q. Why did we see so many other mental health services grow out of Project Heartland after the bombing in Oklahoma City?

A: "A great example is 9/11, and I had the opportunity to go up and respond to New York after 9/11. The minute you introduced yourself as being from Oklahoma, it was like there was a connection because of the work that Project Heartland did and the mental health services that were provided. Then, when 9/11 happened, Oklahomans were able to provide help, consultation, and training for the people in New York of how to take care of their people. The same thing in DC after 9/11 with the Pentagon attack, so now whenever something big happens now there is actually an expectation that those services will be there somewhere. That was all started here in Oklahoma. There were a few first responder agencies departments that had some things in place, like peer support programs in place when the Oklahoma City bombing happened, but for the most part, they did not. None of the other agency did, and now that is considered standard of care. Providing mental health services for first responders is now considered standard care, which wasn’t the case back then. Even in education, in my training, I was a licensed psychologist, but I had no formal training in trauma up until that point, and now that’s part of the standard curriculum in programs for mental health professionals."

Q. Why was Project Heartland instrumental in providing mental health services for first responders, and why was it needed?

A: "Again, back in the day, there was not a lot of that for first responders, and I realized when I got down there, I had been as guilty as anybody of looking at first responders like 'They're big and strong. They’re going to take care of things. I don’t have to worry about it,' instead of looking at them as human beings that were exposed to the things that the rest of us don’t even want to think about. So for the last 30 years, that’s what I have been doing in my career was helping first responders. An example of how Project Heartland and the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health has helped with that is the Warriors Rest Foundation, which is a nonprofit that the founders were actually part of the first responders that responded to the Oklahoma City bombing. They realized through their career that they wanted to continue to help first responders after they retire from their career in law enforcement or fire services, and they have partnered up with the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health Services to help that effort not only here in Oklahoma, but across the country. So now, first responders are better equipped on how to handle the trauma that they are exposed to. We still got some work to do. It’s kind of a work in progress, but we are 1,000 times better than we were 30 years ago."

Q. We're coming up on the 30th anniversary of the bombing. What resources are available for people who may be struggling with the trauma from the bombing?

A: "So I think anniversary dates are huge, and this is a big one. So trauma is not something, and those life experiences are not something that we close the book on and they are over. They are part of our history book now. They’re part of our life experiences. At any point, some things can get triggered. One of the biggest things is just talking about it. The more we can put words on our experience, the better we can actually process it, and our brains can process it. So, talking to mental health professionals, reaching out to the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health Services. If you’re first responder, utilizing your peer support programs and your wellness programs that you have. But instead of just trying to put a lid on it, talk about it. The biggest thing to realize is that you’re not alone."