Dave Peterson, director of the central region within Trillium Health Services’ 24-county service area, updated Tyrrell commissioners recently about programs to benefit local residents.

Rachel’s Challenge was presented in Columbia on November 5. The anti-bullying program equips students and adults to create and sustain safe, caring and supportive learning environments essential for academic achievement. It is sponsored by Trillium.

Rachel’s Challenge is named in memory of 17-year-old Rachel Scott, the first student killed at Columbine High School in 1999. She left a legacy of reaching out to those who were different, who were picked on by others, or who were new at her school.

Peterson also announced formation of a local crisis intervention team, a free hour of a clinician’s consultation with veterans, and construction, in two to three years, of a 200-bed substance abuse center in Greenvile.

And he referred to a recent $250,000 Trillium grant to Tyrrell County for construction of a handicapped-inclusive playground at Tyrrell Hall.

Trillium Health Resources manages mental health, substance use and intellectual/developmental disability services in Tyrrell and 23 other eastern North Carolina counties.

Trillium is “dedicated to making sure Medicaid recipients can get the help they need when they need it. We also assist people who have no insurance or who are unable to pay,” its website states.