Amador County - The California State Rural Health Association honored retired Amador County Mental Health Director Pat Houghton as one of four California rural champions in community leadership at its statewide conference. Houghton, who volunteers her time to administer the Senior Peer Counseling Program after retiring in 2002, was the only volunteer among those honored. Aware that the county lacked the resources to offer adequate counseling for seniors, Houghton used a grant from the Area 12 Agency on Aging to get special training at the Center for Healthy Aging in Santa Monica and founded the senior program. The majority of the 29 other senior peer counseling programs in the state operate under the auspices of and receive support from a county health department or other public agency. “The local program operates under the wing of Amador County Senior Citizens, which provides space and insurance, but thanks to Pat’s volunteer efforts, the free services are available to local seniors on a yearly budget of less than $1,000,” said Marj Stuart, Chair for the Amador County Commission on Aging. The majority of the funds are used for training volunteer peer counselors. Houghton says she has a waiting list of seniors needing counseling from the 11 peer counselors currently available. Senior men and women are being encouraged to participate in a 22-week training course beginning in February. No experience in mental health is necessary. For more information, call 296-4963. Story by Alex Lane (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.).