MEETING DATE: 2/19/2019
DEPARTMENT: SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT
DEPT HEAD/DIRECTOR: Darren Thompson, Sheriff-Coroner
AGENDA ITEM PREPARER: Kellie Kennedy
SBC DEPT FILE NUMBER: 110
SUBJECT:
SHERIFF'S OFFICE - D. THOMPSON
Approve out of state travel March 30 - April 3, 2019 to Washington, D.C. for 2 peer response team members and 1 supporting partner to seek congressional conversation/partnership and funding opportunities. Costs in the amount of approximately $8,600 to be offset with the Veterans Peer Response special revenue fund.
SBC FILE NUMBER: 110
AGENDA SECTION:
CONSENT AGENDA
BACKGROUND/SUMMARY:
Out of state travel to Washington, D.C. is being sought allowing 2 members of the Veterans Peer Response Team and 1 supporting partner to accomplish 3 goals:
1). Fund raising - meet with and seek continued funding from Azalea Charities, a non-profit organization which has donated in support of this program since 2015; and
2). Support from the Federal Government - further develop relationships with the Federal Government via Congressman Panetta and Major Dustin Harris, head of Behavioral Health California National Guard; and
3). International Relations - expand our network and program outreach through enhanced relationships with the Veterans Administration, European Union, and other allied interested parties.
Meetings have been arranged with Congressman Jimmy Panetta as well as Duke Leopold of Arenberg (Brussels, Belgium), Count Bernard de Gruhn (Brussels, Belgium) and retired US Colonel Roger Housen, a strategic planner for NATO. These meetings will take place in Washington, D.C. at several locations between March 31 and April 3, 2019.
We are requesting to send a small delegation of 3 people to represent our specific interests of serving veterans in our tri-county area of San Benito, Monterey and Santa Cruz. Attendees will be Captain Don Bradley, San Benito County Sheriff's Office, psychologist Mark Sandman, Veterans Peer Crisis Response Team Director, and Major Dustin Harris, head of Behavioral Health, California National Guard. Major Harris has worked without pause on getting the National Guard involved in our efforts to be recognized and supported by our own government.
Recent Team Developments
Our program has proven successful both in the classroom and the field when responding to crises. This success has been recognized nationally and will be co-presented with the Veterans Administration at the 12th Academic & Health Policy Conference on Correctional Health in Las Vegas, NV. The public/private partnership peer response model is a fairly new but developing concept when interacting with military veterans who find themselves in crisis they are not prepared to deal with. The Veterans Administration is of the opinion that the efforts put forth in our community is noteworthy enough to be emulated as a model program. Our team has also received an invitation from the International Critical Incident Stress Foundation (ICISF) to present our program at the ICISF 15th World Congress seminar in Baltimore, MD in May 2019.
Program's Historical Evolution
In 2014 the Sheriff's Office responded to a military veteran intent on hurting himself and first responders by attempting to draw deputies into an ambush on his property. Upon analysis of this case and realizing the extent this was happening in other geographic locations, Sheriff Thompson sought the help of trauma expert Mark Sandman. Together with Captain Don Bradley a program was developed around 4 key elements:
- Crisis response from military peers to military peers (peer to peer response), in partnership with trained law enforcement
- Education and training by and from military peers to first responders, emphasizing mediation and ed-escalation, as applied by law enforcement and mental health providers to military veterans in crisis
- Peer team dynamic response training taught by psychologist and peer military veterans to first responders as well as continuing education from ICISF and others
- Community outreach to veterans in our community and newly returning veterans to our community
Fiscal Consideration
The cost for Captain Bradley, Director Mark Sandman and Major Harris is approximately $8,600. These costs, which are estimated pending this approval, are as follows:
Airfare: $ 750 x 3 = $ 2,250
Lodging: 1,600 x 3 = 4,800
Per diem 350 x 3 = 1,050
Transportation 200
Airport Parking 300
Costs will be offset through donations from Azalea Charities, a non-profit organization which has donated in support of this program since 2015. Said donations are held in a special revenue fund and has a current balance of $10,313.
We seek your approval and thank you for your continued support allowing this specialized team, one of the very few such teams in the US, to embark on its mission of protecting this community, engaging in partnerships and continuous professional development.
BUDGETED:
Yes