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DENTON — Caroline County first responders - from Sheriff's Deputies to Emergency Services personnel to correctional officers - have come together to support a new Caroline Cares initiative, which will provide a peer-support style mental health support group for “everyone from 911 dispatchers down.”
The advocates spoke on the importance of such a program during the May 12 Caroline County Commissioners meeting to ask for county funding in order to get the program started. The Caroline Cares team is partnering with For All Seasons to provide training and resources.
Presented primarily by Captain Rodney Helmer of the Caroline County Sheriff’s Office, the initiative received strong support from Commissioners and health-related agencies like the Caroline County Health Department. Those who spoke at the meeting emphasized that the program is intended to proactively address the growing mental health challenges facing first responders.
“First responders face significantly higher rates of stress related injuries, burnout, depression and suicide,” Captain Helmer said during the presentation, “If we are serious about supporting those who serve, we must be proactive and not reactive.”
The presentation highlighted the effects of first responders facing long term trauma, which include increased risks of PTSD, chronic stress, substance abuse, depression, and suicide. Deputy Warden Luke Dixon, speaking on behalf of correctional staff, noted that correctional officers experience depression and PTSD at significantly higher rates than the general public due to the constant verbal and physical abuse they face. “This profession has been linked to heart disease, high blood pressure, chronic stress and emotional exhaustion,” Deputy Warden Dixon said, “In many ways, a correctional officer can begin to feel like a prisoner themselves.”
A major driving force behind the initiative is the advocacy work of Milton Nagel and the Lucas Nagel Memorial Fund, established following the loss of Nagel’s son, a military veteran and Sheriff’s Office Deputy, to suicide in 2022. Nagel told Commissioners that reducing stigma surrounding mental health treatment remains one of the program’s primary goals.
“We started the Lucas Nagel Memorial Fund to do everything we can to ensure that no other family within our community goes through what we go through every day,” Nagel said, “Stopping the stigma is the most important thing that we can do here, and a competent, qualified, trained peer support program led by For All Seasons is key to that.”
The initiative was developed through a steering committee led by the Sheriff’s Office and included representatives from corrections, volunteer fire departments, EMS, dispatch services, Denton Police, mental health organizations, and community stakeholders. The proposed model would combine trained peer supporters with professional clinical backup and crisis intervention services.
Captain Helmer explained that peer support is especially effective because it connects responders with individuals who understand the realities of the profession. “Peer support creates a safe, confidential and accessible space to talk with someone who understands the job, the culture, the pressure and the reality of work,” he said.
Under Caroline Cares, selected Caroline County first responders would undergo a four-day peer support training program followed by ongoing refresher training throughout the year. The estimated startup cost for the initiative was placed at $55,000, covering training and initial program implementation. The Sheriff’s Office has already applied for nearly $20,000 in grant funding through state programs, and they hope for additional support to come from local philanthropic organizations.
In addition to direct responder services, the program would also extend outreach and support to family members of first responders. Representatives at the meeting emphasized that trauma and stress often affect entire households, not just individual employees.
The Commissioners agreed that the program is much needed in Caroline County. “We spend a significant amount of money on physical safety…breathing apparatus…turnout gear. We need to spend the same amount of money on mental health and mental safety,” said Commissioner Larry Porter.
