February 20, 2024

Page 1

The 2024 Driftless Wedding series continues this week!

driftless

US POSTAGE PAID DECORAH, IA PERMIT #6

POSTAL CUSTOMER

www.driftlessjournal.com | news@driftlessjournal.com | 563-382-4221 | Tuesday, February 20, 2024 | Vol. 6 Issue 8

‘The Weight of the Badge’

Mental health conference planned for first responders, those who’ve experienced job-related trauma By Zach Jensen Emergency responders are often called to scenes in which victims and witnesses are stressed, horror-stricken and traumatized. In the private sector, citizens who experience such emotional distress are commonly referred to mental health therapists, clinical psychologists and psychiatrists. But, for first responders who are often called back out to one scene after another and another, the option for help in dealing with all they experience Sean Snyder isn’t always immediately available. And, worse yet, within the first responder community, getting help with one’s mental health is often seen as a sign of weakness. Winneshiek County Emergency Management Director Sean Snyder hopes to change that stigma and help northeast Iowa emergency responders get the help they need through the upcoming “The Weight of the Badge: Mental Health for Emergency Responders Conference”. “Mental health well-being is something emergency responders regularly discuss with the people they have been called to help. However, the emergency responder’s own mental health well-being is oftentimes overlooked by the emergency responders themselves. We need to remove the stigma around mental health well-being and begin to accept ‘it’s okay to not be okay.’ “I’ve been an emergency responder since January 2002, and in that time, I’ve been a firefighter, paramedic, reserve deputy and emergency management,” said Snyder. “I’ve seen and done a lot of things in my career, and some things you can never forget.” Snyder’s daughter is a United States Marine currently stationed in Okinawa, Japan, and the experiences she’s shared with him remind him of his own experiences. “I just want to get the message out there,” he said. “Emergency responders are fantastic at helping you – a total stranger – but the things we see, do, smell and hear on-scene … we’re just expected to forget all that and go back home to our families or go back to work. And, sometimes, it’s hard to get those things out of your head.” The first of its kind “This is the first mental health for emergency responder conference held in Winneshiek County,” according to the event website. The conference will be held from 6-10 p.m., Thursday, March 28, in Room 206 of Valders Hall of Science at Luther College in Decorah. Active/retired law enforcement, jailers, dis-

Weight of the Badge

continued on page 2

PHARMACY

From

fireworks to forever

By Becky Walz

“Poof” went a cloud of dust off of the speech maid of honor Madeline (Snyder) Bahl had prepared for Morgan (Kuennen) and Andre Walz’s wedding reception July 8, 2023. “That’s how long everyone has been waiting for this wedding to happen,” she said as the 300-plus guests laughed. It may not have been forever, but for family and friends it sure felt like ages. In fact it was over a decade that everyone had been waiting…and asking if there was a ring in the picture yet. Then it finally happened. The years go by In 2009, while Andre played little league baseball in Festina alongside Morgan’s brothers Blake and Nathan, Morgan was a fan in the stands with her parents, Mark and Linda, and she had her eye on the game. The first “hangout” came later that summer at the Spillville fireworks, something that has become tradition for the couple. Both students at South Winneshiek in Calmar, Morgan was just preparing to enter her freshman year, while Andre was a bit younger in eighth grade which made for

spending time together difficult. The result was many trips made by their parents to and from Calmar and Festina. As the years went by, the young couple became more independent as their relationship continued to blossom through many volleyball, football, basketball and baseball games as the two were active high school students, supporting each other along the way. After her high school graduation in 2013, Morgan continued her studies at the University of Northern Iowa in education and Andre finished high school a year later, then joined her in Cedar Falls as an accounting major. Many continued to ask the question – when are you getting married? Their answer? When we feel like it. They had a plan. Both ended up earning their master’s degrees, and it just happened that Andre had completed his degree in accounting and Morgan was nearly finished

Kuennen/Walz

continued on page 5

Andre and Morgan (Kuennen) Walz met as teenagers in 2009, and were wed July 8, 2023 (Wedding day photo by Eleanor Kathryn Photography)

Meeting at the Spillville fireworks in 2009, the annual light displays are special to Andre and Morgan (Kuennen) Walz, including their wedding night when fireworks were set off from Festina’s ball diamond. (Fireworks photo courtesy of Leah Kruse)

Opioid Task Force seeks public input The Winneshiek County Opioid Task Force is conducting an anonymous public survey to determine how to spend money from a grant received to help fight the battle against the opioid and fentanyl epidemics. According to the CDC, in Iowa in 2021 (most recent year for data) there were 475 opioid-related deaths. In 2023, more than 112,000 people died due to opioids in the United States, and according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, fentanyl has been the main cause of those deaths. “In order to support the population of

Winneshiek County, the county has participated in the recent lawsuits against pharmaceutical companies that helped to create the current opioid crisis in the United States,” said a press release from Jon Vagts of Helping Services for Youth & Families. “As a result of this participation and the settlements, Winneshiek County will receive a total of $283,000. This amount will be broken into payments to the county over the next several years.” Vagts’ press release also said the county has established a task force to support the county with finding ways to utilize the

funds to better support Winneshiek County. “This task force is made up of law enforcement, community members, substance use prevention, public health, substance use and mental health treatment and local government,” said Vagts’ press release. “These funds do have to be used for the treatment or prevention of drug use.”

Opioid Task Force continued on page 4

Now Open!

To participate in the anonymous public survey regarding the use of funds received by the county from the opioid lawsuit settlement, scan the QR code.

Scan for info!

901 Montgomery Street, Decorah | P: 563-387-3000 | winnmed.org


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.