The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Taking care of their own
Mentor gets grant to start Officer Safety and Wellness program
Police suicide has been on the increase the last few years, according to Blue H.E.L.P., a nonprofit organization dedicated to honoring the service of law enforcers who died at their own hands.
There were 228 such deaths nationwide in 2019, up from 172 the year prior.
“More officers are dying by suicide than by gunfire and accidents combined,” Mentor Police Chief Ken Gunsch said.
That’s why his department is establishing an Officer Safety and Wellness program, thanks to a $33,906 grant from the Department of Justice’s COPS Office.
The grant money will be used to cover costs that include a department-assigned program facilitator and contracts with Lake Health and Crossroads to supply related training and services.
“As a department, we want to make sure we are doing everything we can to help our officers lead a healthy life that will continue into their retirement years,” Gunsch said. “Having healthy officers, both physically and mentally, will also help to ensure we are providing the best service possible to our citizens. Establishing a Wellness Program within our police department is a huge step in that direction.”
The police currently have access to a gym within the department, but there has never been a program geared towards their physical fitness or mental wellbeing, he added.
A personal trainer will help promote physical health while Lake Health will offer training on wellness topics such as proper nutrition, the importance of rest and stress management.
In addition, Crossroads Health will provide training and education related to mental health, assist in building a peer-support system and offer counseling sessions.
Participation in the program will be voluntary. “A department of our size typically does not have the resources available to establish a comprehensive wellness program that a major city would have,” Gunsch said. “Yet our officers experience the same exposure to traumatic events. Our goal is to get as many officers as possible to participate in the program and see an improvement in our officers’ physical health and mental well-being.”
Risky business
Police work leads to posttraumatic stress disorder in an estimated 15 percent of U.S. police officers, according to Blue H.E.L.P.
Such stress increases the risk of hypertension, musculoskeletal pain, obesity, cardiovascular disease, panic attacks, phobia and substance abuse, as well as suicide, Gunsch said.
“Unfortunately, there has been a stigma among law enforcement when it comes to speaking about or seeking help for mental health,” he said. “We want to change that attitude and perception to ensure our officers are mentally healthy and seek help when they need it.”
Historically, health and wellness activities have only been accessible via health insurance, said Crossroads Chief Clinical Officer Shayna Jackson
“In addition, there has been a lack of understanding by healthcare providers as to the particular challenges our law enforcement officers face on a dayto-day basis,” she said. “The repeated exposures to shift work, long hours, unpredictable schedules, exposure to critical incidents, various physical demands and high rates of on-thejob injuries all contribute to a situation where wellness programming becomes vitally important for officers.”
Creating an officer-led peer support system within the department is intended to increase the comfort level they have in accessing these services, she said.
Getting physical
Being physically fit is an important aspect of optimum police work for obvious reasons.
Bobby Kaleal of Bodies Done Right, LLC is a consultant for Lake Health and developed the wellness program for the Mentor department.
“Unfortunately, being overweight can have serious health and career drawbacks for police officers,” he said.
They include: • Increased fatigue in physical situations
• More time off for health reasons
• Increased risk of sustaining injuries
• Higher risk of developing serious health problems including heart disease, stroke, gallbladder and kidney disease, and some cancers
• Higher incidence of health issues like gout, breathing problems and sleep apnea
• Increased risk of depression and mood disorders.
“To combat these issues, some police departments do provide programs and incentives to keep police officers in shape,” he said.
The program start date hasn’t been set, as the coronavirus is requiring special parameters for implementation.
“The bottom line is law enforcement needs all the support they can get,” Kaleal said. “We need to help provide them with all the tools to reach their potential — mentally (and) emotionally, physically, nutritionally and psychologically.”