RC Commissioners approve Peer Support Program 

Countless studies have shown that high-pressure jobs need some sort of mental health counseling.  The Rabun County Board of Commissioners approved funding for a peer support program for first responders at their regular monthly meeting for September.  The request came on the heels of a presentation by Rabun County Sheriff Chad Nichols. “There has been a big push here within the past couple of years for peer support and crisis support for law enforcement officers nationwide.  I guess it would be kind of in the mental health realm to take care of their mental health. The Georgia Sheriff’s Association has partnered with Crisis Support Solutions. It is a group, actually one of the founders is a chaplain in Georgia, there will be two days of training that will be done here locally and it will teach officers here how to talk with their peers if their having trouble either dealing with a situation that might happen in the job or if an issue is noticed with an employee that something that might be going on at home.  So, pretty much, it covers anything that could be affecting the officer.” The funding request was unanimously approved by the Rabun County Board of Commissioners, continues Sheriff Nichols. “They approved to pay for 20 spots and that comes with a $337 per person charge so that adds up if you have several. Our training budget is not that big and we didn’t want to spend all the money but I thought it was a worthy cause to go to the Commission and ask and they felt it was a worthy cause as well. So, they approved 20 spots and that is going to include the Sheriff’s Office, EMS, 911, and the Fire Services here.  So, not only will the Sheriff’s Office be getting the training, it will be all the public safety services in our county. So, I think it is a great thing and I appreciate the Commissioners for approving this and I’m thankful these services are going to be available to all the first responders in Rabun County.” This peer support training is being provided by the Georgia Sheriff’s Association.