Amanda King
AUGUSTA, Ga. 鈥� Mark Brown spent 39 years as a paramedic and knows the toll the profession has on first responders. That鈥檚 why he supports Valor Station, a proposed recovery center for first responders burdened by substance abuse, post-traumatic stress or other issues.
鈥淲e saw some god-awful things that would make normal people run and hide,鈥� he said.
Brown gathered with other first responders and community members Saturday in front of the Municipal Building to show their support for firefighters, EMS and police.
The zoning for the recovery center was approved Monday by the Planning Commission and must be passed by the Augusta Commission. However, some members of the Green Meadows subdivision, where the facility would be located, strongly oppose the center. They plan to hold a news conference at 11 a.m. Monday at the Green Meadows Drive entrance prior to the commission vote on the zoning Tuesday.
Jeff Breedlove from the Georgia Council on Substance Abuse, who was at Saturday鈥檚 rally, questioned why commissioners would vote against Valor Station. A vote against it would send a message to drug dealers and gangs that Augusta is 鈥渙pen season鈥� for drugs, he said.
鈥淔irst responders save our lives,鈥� he said. 鈥淓very time the people of Georgia call our first responders, they answer that call. The very least the people of Georgia and the people of Richmond County can do for first responders is to be here for us when they need us the most.鈥�
Richmond County Board of Education District 6 representative A.K. Hasan released a statement Saturday in support of the subdivision, calling Valor Station 鈥淗ell House鈥� and saying it is a danger to the neighborhood and the Career Vocational Magnet School.
鈥淓ach of the Hell House鈥檚 patients are a drug addict that has a history of personal abuse and reckless endangerment,鈥� the statement said. 鈥淲hich means self-control is a real problem for them. The Hell House鈥檚 patients cannot be trusted to adhere to the rules of confinement established by the Hale Foundation. The patients pose a risk to students and the neighborhood.鈥�
Hasan said many of the patients鈥� visitors will be their likely enablers and heighten the likelihood that illegal drug activities at the center will then be in the school and neighborhood. He also said that with the rise in COVID-19 cases, it would be poor judgment to bring people into the county with 鈥渁 documented history of violating the rules of personal control and public safety.鈥�
Andy Carrier, a licensed mental health clinician formerly with the Georgia State Patrol, said people want to 鈥渧ilify鈥� addiction but that it can affect people from all walks of life.
鈥淭here鈥檚 not one person here who hasn鈥檛 suffered from situational depression,鈥� he said. 鈥淪ometimes you get through it and sometimes you don鈥檛 and it leads to something else. You鈥檙e going to find that form of relief somehow.鈥�
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漏2020 The Augusta Chronicle (Augusta, Ga.)