Chelan County will use new wellness grant to build mental health response on the professional, personal levels

 With the help of a new grant, Chelan County is creating a program for the Sheriff’s Office and county jail that will help them in identifying and responding to a mental health crisis in the field as well as potentially in their own lives. 

“What patrol and corrections can endure during their day-to-day duties can be stressful, even traumatic on their most difficult shifts,” said Ana Gonzalez, manager of the Chelan County Diversion Program and Behavioral Health Unit. “First responders go from call to call, normalizing what goes on in their day. While there are processes that agencies implement during critical incidents, we want to normalize the help-seeking process. Asking for help can be lifesaving.” 

The Chelan County Sheriff’s Office was recently awarded $57,500 from the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs to begin developing the in-house wellness program with the assistance of Gonzalez. 

The funds are state dollars provided by the Criminal Justice Training Commission. The initial program will be developed for the Sheriff’s Office and then rolled over to the Chelan County Regional Justice Center. 

“For years law enforcement has pushed expectations on officers and deputies to extremes, expecting them to respond to and be the answer to every type of call and situation you can think of,” said Chelan County Sheriff Brian Burnett. 

“Unfortunately, this was done without any training or tools in managing the potential stress that goes along with this line of work. We’ve learned from experience that we can and should do better to proactively take care of our first responders, rather than waiting until there’s an emergency.”

 Gonzalez, a licensed mental health counselor and designated crisis responder, will develop the program, which will include bi-monthly first responder trainings, for the county. The county began building its own Behavioral Health Unit in September, and since then has hired two trained crisis responders who ride along most weekdays with the Sheriff’s Office. “When I’m in the field, I will coordinate with a deputy as we are responding to a call. We will go over a caller’s case history if we know it or attempt to get information from partnering agencies. We develop a plan on how to assist individuals and their behavioral health issues,” Gonzalez said. 

“With this new program, we aim to give our first responders more information and training so they feel more prepared and comfortable responding to these calls, especially if they do not have one of the county’s crisis responders riding with them.” 

The new program includes not only providing bi-monthly trainings for first responders but also building upon partnerships with health and wellness providers in the area and region; developing an app that will provide 24-hour support in the field and include referral and service information; and serving as an advocate for employees who may be enduring personal or professional difficulties. 

Potential topics may include suicide prevention; burnout, personal resilience and self-care; crisis intervention training; behavioral health symptoms and diagnoses; and frontline mental health first aid. The wellness program also will include the development of spouse and family events.  “We want our first responders to take the information that we give them and use it not only in the field but also in their own lives,” Gonzalez said. 

“By knowing the risk factors or signs of a person who is in a mental health crisis, a first responder will be better able to recognize these indicators in their own loved ones or even themselves.” 

Burnett said he is not only pleased to be able to grow the Behavioral Health Unit with these new monies but he is also proud of the growth the program has had in such a short period of time. 

“I’m confident that the BHU program will make a long and lasting impact on both the citizens and first responders who may be facing a mental health crisis,” he said. “We owe it to our first responders to equip them and assist them in managing stress, which will translate to better mental health both during and after their careers."