Recharge Room rescues rescuers
First responders, their families and teachers among initial groups
GILBERT, Ariz. – He was a serial entrepreneur most of his adult life, always in the health and wellness business.
But when Rich Ganley was approached by the town of Gilbert for advice on how to improve health and wellness benefits for employees, especially first responders, Ganely found himself in a new niche of the space he had known so well.
His research unearthed startling statistics regarding the men and women charged with being the first on what is usually a dire scene: Shorter lifespan, higher rates of PTSD, increased risk of suicide due to PTSD and higher cancer rates due to the hazards of the job, especially in firefighters.
“My heart broke open,” Ganley said. “I wanted to help.”
Positive Impact Alliance, the company Ganley started in 2022, is Ganley’s way of helping to rescue those who rescue others.
Its main product is the Recharge Room, which offers a combination of therapies in a 33-minute circuit that addresses the high levels of stress, trauma and physical demands that come with being a firefighter, police officer, paramedic or other first responder.
The goal, Ganley said, is to counteract the toll these take on their mental, physical and emotional health. While working on a previous project, Ganley studied three therapies – red light, infrared sauna and cold plunge – and knew their benefits on professional athletes. He came up with the idea to put them together.
“Each of them alone had proven benefits for conditions first responders face,” Ganley said. “All of these modalities have been used for elite athletes but no one has brought them to first responders.”
The first three rooms are located in a fire station, police department substation and the department’s training facility. Currently, they are reserved specifically for Gilbert’s first responders.
Ganley said other cities have reached out to him about bringing it to their municipalities as well.
Ganley donates his time and knowledge to get the rooms set up, and provides the training and follow up. Cities can purchase the equipment from Positive Impact Alliance, which generates income for the business, he explained.
Scientists, doctors, psychologists and other health care professionals and business leaders provided input to develop the Recharge Room.
Cellular health, inflammation reduction, mood elevation, improvements in cardiac function, better sleep, reduced muscle soreness, stress relief and boost in energy are among the benefits that have been proven in peer review studies, he said.
According to the medical trade publication Psychiatric Times, 30% of first responders will develop a behavioral or mental health problem such as depression, post-traumatic stress disorder or a substance abuse problem. In the generfamilies al population, this statistic is 20%.
Roughly 1 in 3 first responders develop PTSD at some point during or after their career, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. In the general population, it’s about 1 in 5 people.
According to Kaiser Permanente, 85% of first responders have experienced symptoms related to mental health conditions, 70% of first responders say mental health services are rarely or never utilized, and 57% of first responders fear negative repercussions for seeking help.
The Recharge Room aims to address these concerns in a more discreet and non-stigmatized way.
“Just the gratitude we see and the improvement we can give our first responders. … When I see their faces or hear their stories, it makes my heart feel full of joy,” Ganley said.
“What makes me most hopeful is we can reduce these terrible statistics and extend their lives. I want to make a difference in those odds and to honor our heroes.”
Ganley recently donated a Recharge Room to The 100 Club of Arizona, which provides assistance and resources to of first responders who are seriously injured or killed in the line of duty. He is in talks with other nonprofits to do the same.
A mobile version has made its way to Gilbert teachers. The equipment is set up onsite in a classroom and the shorter 15-minute circuit takes place during their prep time.
Ganley talked about receiving nearly 200 testimonials from teachers, including one who was so burned out she thought about retiring early.
But after time in the Recharge Room, she felt like she could stay through her 25th year.
Gilbert police Lt. Chris Timmins heads the town’s peer support and wellness for the Gilbert Police Department. He has received feedback from the wide range of first responders ranging from their 20s to 50s, who have used the Recharge Room.
For example: People who suffer from bad knees but now can walk 3 miles with no problem and those who struggle with sleeping are able to sleep well.
Timmins has used the Recharge Room and experienced the results firsthand.
Ten years ago after hopping a wall while on duty, Timmins ruptured two disks in his back. He underwent spinal fusion surgery but was always in pain.
On the days he used the Recharge Room, Timmins didn’t need to take Advil to be active during the day or sleep at night.
“I felt a lot more relief in my back. It felt amazing,” Timmins said. “I’m also able to handle the stress of my job as well as being a parent of a special needs child.”
Part of the department’s wellness program includes teaching first responders how to be more resilient with the stress they face, how to have healthier lives, eat better and mindfulness on and off the clock, Timmins explained. The Recharge Room has become a key tool in this plan.
“If you’re better at work, you’re better at home. If you’re better at home, you’re better at work. Rich is giving us this gift (of) being a part of taking control of our lives,” Timmins said.