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NAMI volunteer urges more peer support for justice‑involved individuals
Summary
Mary Ann Widenhouse, a volunteer with NAMI and former peer support specialist, told commissioners that peer support services can help justice‑involved people move toward wellness and thanked Sheriff Wilkie for allowing group access to the county detention center.
Mary Ann Widenhouse, who said she has worked in behavioral health since the late 1990s and served as a former peer support specialist, spoke during public comment about the value of peer support for justice‑involved people. "Someone who's been there, done that can be of great value to a person striving diligently to move forward in their lives," she said, and she urged the county to consider greater use of peer support as part of reentry and treatment efforts.
Widenhouse also thanked Sheriff Wilkie for allowing her group to work with women in the county detention center and said such access helps participants learn and possibly serve as peer support providers in the community. Commissioners and staff thanked her for the remarks; no formal action was taken during the meeting.
