Adams County committee approves opioid-settlement-funded wellness program for first responders

The Adams County Admin & Finance Committee voted May 8 to use opioid settlement funds to continue a first-responder wellness program, expanding a sheriff’s-office pilot to include social workers and medical-examiner staff.

Sheriff York told the committee the pilot, which served sheriff’s office employees last year, generated strong voluntary participation and positive survey feedback. "Overall great experience," he said when summarizing staff comments, and he said the union provided a letter endorsing the program.

The sheriff asked the committee to authorize up to $20,000 for the program; he said the county authorized $20,000 last year and used roughly $14,000. Finance Director Kyle said the program will be paid from the county’s opioid settlement fund, noting the county currently has about $282,000 in obligations, has received $543,000 to date and expects to receive nearly $1,000,000 more through the settlement period.

Committee members asked how the wellness visits work and whether they provide measurable help. Sheriff York said the county contracts with Accent Consulting, which provides confidential emotional-wellness sessions tailored for high-risk fields such as law enforcement and health care; participants described the sessions as beneficial and said they would like more than one visit per year.

Former law-enforcement member Jamieson expressed support for the resources. The chair called for a voice vote; members said “aye” with no opposition, and the resolution to use opioid-settlement funds for the wellness program passed.

The committee directed that the program expansion be paid from the opioid settlement fund and did not set additional conditions at the meeting. The county’s next steps include implementing the expanded participant list (sheriff’s staff, roughly a dozen DHS social workers, and some medical-examiner staff) and continuing evaluation of staff feedback.