VAN BUREN — The Carter County Sheriff’s Department recently was recognized for its efforts in spreading awareness about mental-health issues.
The department received the Community Collaborative Program of the Year award from the Family Counseling Center during its annual picnic and meeting, said Sheriff Rick Stephens.
The award, he said, recognizes “our help in bringing awareness of mental illness to not only our community and region, but also to law enforcement in general.
“How we have done that, basically it’s not only through promoting and taking part in the Crisis Intervention Council and training, but also through our general attempts to bring awareness to the issue through community events.”
Stephens said he is very proud of his entire staff for “their diligence ensuring that (mental health) resources are made known through the community.”
Stephens indicated it is really a collaborative effort between law enforcement, mental health professionals and hospitals.
When someone has a family member in “crisis, we are actually able to get them the resources/names of actual contacts,” Stephens said.
The sheriff’s department, he said, is involved with both the Three Rivers Crisis Invention Council and Current River Crisis Intervention Councils.
“Right now, in my department, we’ve got five members who are full-out trained crisis intervention officers,” Stephens said.
That, Stephens said, is something he feels is extremely important when “we look at our ultimate mission of serving the public.
“That (training) is having a huge impact on our ability to do that.”
Stephens said he was not expecting the award, which he learned of on the last day of second annual crisis intervention training held in Poplar Bluff.
Upon receiving the notification, “I was pretty excited,” Stephens said. “ … It’s definitely having a good, positive impact on our community, and (the award) just makes it a little extra special.”