New Family Advocate
For Immediate Release
09-03-2024
The Crawford County Coroner's office has recently appointed a Family Advocate to connect families with needed resources and support following the death of a loved one. The weeks and months following a death can be difficult at best, navigating those waters alone, and without a way to get answers or help, can make the grieving process even worse.
The Family Advocate Support Team (FAST) is a groundbreaking program in Crawford County, the first of its kind in Missouri, that provides support services to people who have experienced an unexplained, violent, or suspicious death of a loved one, including those who died by suicide or overdose. The program also supports those dealing with the death of a child. While tragic and equally impactful to families, these types of deaths don't often garner the same support that crime or abuse victims and their families receive from victim advocates.
The coroner's office established a Survivor Support Team last year with funding from the community, area businesses, and grants. This program has been successful in helping families in our county in various ways. As the support team concept has grown, it has come to a point where more than volunteer time is needed to continue the success of advocating for families. The support team volunteers will remain in place and continue providing valuable support, both on-scene and in follow-up calls with families. The advocate position combines the organization of the support team with resources of state and local services to provide an even greater framework for supporting area families.
The salary for this position is funded by the survivor support team board, not the coroner's budget. The support team board has applied for 501 c(3) status and will seek further grant opportunities to ensure the continuation of this program.
The new Family Advocate is MaLisa Toddy, CBT, T-PTSD. She is experienced in working with children and adults in crisis and brings a unique skill set and experience to the position. She has successfully led the current support team from its initial organization to its current success. MaLisa will be a valuable asset to the coroner's office and the whole community.
Darren Dake 780
Coroner
