Chad Davis

I am honored to have received the Central Georgia EMS Region 5 Resilence Innovation Award. Resilence is the ability to adapt well to difficult situations such as trauma, stress, or adversity.

At Peach County EMS, we have made this a priority for our providers by connecting into a Peer Support Program, establishing a process to monitor mental wellness through quarterly reminders to plug into the Command Wellbeing App, which carries a host of inventories designed to self report and monitor one’s stressors.

Additionally, this year, we will be establishing a Safety and Wellness Coordinator which will be responsible for creating and maintaining wellness initiatives and programs for our providers. Perhaps the item that I am most excited about is the ability to request a check-in from a Peer directly from our patient care reporting software. I expect that our folks will view it as a slight annoyance 99% of the time, but that one time where a call (or a series of calls) really bothers them, my hope is that they will hesitate and click the button, which will generate a notification within 24 hours to follow up.

Through initiatives like these, my hope is that we can get ahead of the mental health curve that is plaguing the industry right now and establish Peach County as a leader in resilience.

Ashley Wilson has been through hell, but she fought and came through on the other side. Her story and hard work have led to a very positive outcome for first responders in Georgia who will now be supported financially when they receive a PTSD diagnosis.

HB 451 will provide them with a 1 time payment of $3,000 after diagnosis within 2 years of their traumatic event. Responders who are unable to return to the job will now be provided 36 months of compensation at 60% of their pay. I am thankful for legislators who are hearing our pleas and offering solutions to address the financial needs of those who are suffering from the trauma they incur on the job.

There is no shame in seeking help and you are best served to do it early. 2 years is not a lot of time and these things tend to pop up unexpectedly much later. Be vigilant to protect and maintain your mental wellness.

First Responders and PTSD: Moving Past the Trauma Please like and share with friends and family. Officer Ashely Wilson opens up about her struggle with an extremely tragic incident and how she fought to work...