CCSD police unveil wellness outreach office for officers, social workers
Ahead of the new school year, the Clark County School District Police Department is prioritizing mental wellness for its staff.
On Tuesday, Walker Furniture donated furniture to the department as it transformed an unused room into a wellness outreach office in Henderson.
“CCSD police reached out to us saying they were in need and my response was yes,” said Linda Alterwitz-Mizrahi, one of Walker Furniture’s owners. “Their job is so important for our students, families.”
In the span of 30 minutes, movers and officers set up the safe space. The walls were decorated in a muted blue and gray paint and an abstract painting hung over a three-seat couch. The room also had a love seat, an eight-seat conference table, end tables and shelves.
“The furniture is blue and it’s a very calming color. That’s why we decorated that way — as a way to decompress,” she said.
Officer wellness programs have been a priority for school police. In the last few years, the force has been working to expand opportunities to ensure officer mental health is well taken care of, Lt. Bryan Zink said.
Sgt. Bernardo Abarca has been with the department for seven years and said the wellness outreach office meets the need of the force. A space for well-being allows officers to interact better with the community, he said.
“We see tragic events almost every day and decompression is something we normally don’t do,” he said. “But now we have chance to do that.”
The department also has social workers to help officers in the field deal with cases involving mental health, homelessness and food insecurity, school police social worker Lori Smith said.
“We’re on the front line as soon as the crisis occurs,” she said. “It can be a lot for us.”
The social work team with school police already works together to debrief stress and decompress. Now, instead of in a small office, the team can spread out and connect in the wellness office, Smith said.
Lt. Steve Hewitt has been with department for 12 years and said he is happy to see the force create a dedicated space for officer and social worker well-being.
“We know the social workers take care of everybody else’s mental health, including students, staff members and our officers, but who takes care of them?” he said.
The wellness outreach office is just one step of the department’s initiative to take care of its staff, he said.
Contact Megan Howard at mhoward@reviewjournal.com. Follow her on X at @meganmhxward.