A Light in the Dark

Editors Note: This article was originally published in the Spring 2026 Jewish Journal.

In the early hours of July 4, 2025, while the rain poured down on the Hill Country, first responders were jumping into action.

Jeffrey Rollman, a recent graduate of the Jewish Federation of San Antonio’s J-LEV program, has worked as a paramedic and educator for over 16 years and currently is a clinical assistant professor in the Department of Emergency Health Sciences at The University of Texas at San Antonio. That July, he and a colleague in the department,  Clinical Assistant Professor Stephen Harper, MD, had been in the early stages of collaborating with Kerrville Fire Department on a Geriatric Fall Prevention program. Dr. Harper also serves as EMS medical director for Kerrville FD through UT Health San Antonio, the academic health center of UT San Antonio. They had begun to set aside dates for training sessions in July and August. Then, the flood waters came.

For first responders, jumping into action, into danger, is second nature. But that doesn’t come without consequences – after all, they’re dealing with nature at its full force, and people in dire need. They’re seeing things that no one should see, all day, every day, for days on end. It leaves first responders rattled and in need of help.

In San Antonio, peer support and mental health resources exist for first responders, which they can take advantage of when in need. In Kerrville, this kind of help is much more limited – not ideal for a community experiencing one of the worst tragedies in decades. Forever a first responder, Jeffrey jumped into action and contacted Lexipol, the creator and owner of the Cordico App, as they already work with San Antonio.

The Cordico wellness app is used by first responder agencies across the country as a resource for first responders. It provides them with 24/7 access to mental health tools, peer support, and educational content, in one confidential app that’s easy to use. Within a few days, a limited trial version of the Cordico Wellness App was available for Kerrville first responders. But the work wasn’t over. Together with Dr. Harper and Dr. Lance Villers, chair of the Department of Emergency Health Sciences, Rollman created a proposal to help fund a full version of the app, to have the maximum impact possible.

As a recent graduate of J-LEV, the Jewish Federation of San Antonio was among the first to be contacted to help fund the full version. Thanks to funding from the Jewish Federation of San Antonio and Shalom Austin, along with Dr. Harper’s Trinity Baptist Church, a full, custom version created to serve the first responders of the Hill Country was launched on Aug. 15. The app has given countless first responders in the area direct access to mental health resources, helping them process and heal from one of the worst natural disasters the area has ever seen.

Katia Diamante