Despite retirement, former public defender Lynn Nelson and psychiatrist Bill Miller could never truly wash their hands of the Kootenai County Mental Health Drug Court.

Those hands helped construct the successful program, one which has helped put hundreds battling addiction and mental illness on the straight and narrow.

In front of a standing-room-only courtroom Thursday, Nelson and Miller were honored by Judge John Mitchell, who presented the men a plaque for their years of dedicated service.

"Both of these gentlemen wanted to retire, sort of did, but their love for this program kept them coming back," said Mitchell, who spearheaded the program's inception in 2004. "They went above and beyond in helping participants navigate their problems they have in this state and other states. "

Nelson, a former Vietnam veteran who still struggles with PTSD, viewed the program as a healthy alternative to incarceration, believing people could learn to live productive lives with their limitations.

Helping others helped Nelson deal with his own malady. Seeing them succeed brought him the utmost satisfaction.

"I've really watched people grow and develop. Watched people succeed after they've completed this program and I've watched people fail," Nelson said. "And I think the ones that succeed kind of lose themselves in helping others. And I learned in my life that when I help others, that the problems in my life aren't as heavy.

"If I had one last word of advice: learn to serve others. Lose yourself in service to others, and your problems won't seem so monumental."

Miller, who still teaches residents twice a week at Kootenai Health, was extremely vested in betterment of the program's participants, a big reason he couldn't truly walk away.

"The reason why I couldn't give this up is because it's one of the few things I felt like we truly made a difference," Miller said. "I got to work with an incredible team of people. We tried to help people, and the program was very successful. I've truly seen people's lives turned around from going down the tubes to the point of no return to all of a sudden giving back and becoming functional people in society."

Brandi Irons can attest to this.

Irons, a young Coeur d'Alene woman, was charged with drug possession, manufacturing and distribution before joining drug court.

"Both (Nelson and Miller) see us weekly or every other week, so they both had a major role in everybody's recovery," Irons said. "So not just where we were going, as far as court, but they actually guided us in our recovery."

Irons had worked with Nelson for five years, initially when he was her public defender — when she was admittedly a mess.

"Lynn actually cares about you," she said. "He's more than 'oh, we're going to prove you're innocent' but he also wanted to know if you were OK and wanted what's best for you. He had this fatherly outlook on everyone and wanted the absolute best for them. It's pretty awesome that he volunteered his time here."