A project taking shape in southwest Wisconsin is drawing attention to an issue emergency service agencies across the country continue to face and where first responders can turn when years of responding to other people’s emergencies begin taking a toll on their own mental health.
Hidden Valley Retreat is a proposed residential treatment facility focused specifically on first responders. The effort brings together the Wisconsin Law Enforcement Death Response Team (LEDR), Tellurian Behavioral Health and first responders who believe there is a need for specialized treatment closer to home.
Iowa County Sheriff Michael Peterson is among those supporting the project.
“We ask first responders to show up on what may be the worst day of someone’s life,” Peterson said. “They see fatal crashes, suicides, overdoses, fires, violence and the deaths of people of all ages. Then the call is over, and we expect them to clear it and go on to the next one.”
Peterson said one difficult call may stay with a responder for years, but the larger concern is often the cumulative effect of repeatedly being exposed to traumatic events over the course of a career.
“That doesn’t just affect the person wearing the uniform,” he said. “Eventually, it can come home with them. It can affect spouses, children and relationships. That’s why I think this is an issue our entire community should care about.”
A place specifically for first responders
The vision for Hidden Valley Retreat is a 16-bed residential facility in the Spring Green area, with eight beds for men and eight for women.
The facility would serve law enforcement, fire, EMS and other emergency service professionals.
Treatment would address issues such as trauma and post-traumatic stress, substance use, depression, anxiety, critical incident trauma, suicide prevention, family and relationship concerns and return-to-duty planning.
Peterson said one of the biggest challenges is finding treatment that understands the culture of emergency services.
“First responders are used to being the ones people call when something is wrong,” he said. “It can be very difficult for them to admit that they are the one who needs help. When they finally do ask, we need somewhere appropriate to send them.”
The issue has become increasingly important locally as well.
Iowa County has expanded its peer support efforts to include emergency service personnel beyond law enforcement. Peterson said peer support can make a significant difference following a critical incident or during a difficult time, but there are situations where someone needs more than peer support.
“I’m extremely proud of what we have built with peer support here,” Peterson said. “But our peer support members can’t do everything. Sometimes their job is recognizing that someone needs more help and getting them connected to it. That’s where a facility like this becomes important.”
Attention growing beyond southwest Wisconsin
The Hidden Valley Retreat project is not an Iowa County government project, Peterson emphasized. Rather, it is intended to serve first responders on a much larger scale, potentially drawing people from throughout Wisconsin, the Midwest and across the country.
That broader mission is already attracting attention well beyond southwest Wisconsin.
Among those lending their voice to the effort is Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love, who has publicly shared the story of losing his father, a police officer, to suicide when Love was a teenager and has spoken about the importance of mental health awareness.
Love recently participated in a video supporting the Hidden Valley Retreat effort, using his own family’s experience to help bring attention to mental health and the need to make sure people know help is available.
“Having someone like Jordan willing to share his own story brings attention to a subject that people haven’t always been comfortable talking about,” Peterson said. “His story reminds people that mental health and suicide don’t just affect one profession or one type of family. These are issues that can touch anybody.”
Peterson said attention surrounding the project has continued to grow as its message has reached first responders, families, businesses and others outside the immediate area.
“What started as a conversation about a need has become something people from all over are asking about,” Peterson said. “That tells me there are a lot of people who recognize the same gap that we do.”
A $10 million vision
Turning that vision into a functioning treatment facility will require significant financial support.
The estimated cost to get Hidden Valley Retreat established is approximately $10 million, and the project
coming home. I’ve also been the supervisor sitting in an emergency room trying to figure out where we can get help for one of our own.”
Those experiences are a major reason he has become involved with the effort.
“Our first responders are going to keep answering the call when somebody needs them,” Peterson said. “We need to make sure that when one of them or their family finally says, ‘We need help,’ there is somewhere for them to go.”
How to help
Those involved with Hidden Valley Retreat are asking individuals, businesses and organizations who believe in the project to help make the vision a reality.
Donations can be made through Tellurian Behavioral Health at:
https://tellurian.app.neoncrm.com/. .. /-hbr-treatment …
For corporate or foundation donations, sponsorship opportunities or media inquiries, contact:
Mike Sasse – Retired 30-year law enforcement veteran; MOCIC Law Enforcement Coordinator; President, Wisconsin Law Enforcement Death Response Team (LEDR) 920-572- 1351or msasse@mocic.riss.net
Kevin Florek – Tellurian Behavioral Health – 608-712-3562
For those involved in the effort, Hidden Valley Retreat is about more than raising $10 million or constructing another treatment facility. It is about making sure the people who spend their careers answering calls for help have somewhere to turn when they are the ones who need it.
Every donation, every business that gets involved and every person who shares the project can help move that goal closer to reality.
