Support Public Safety Wellness During Mental Wellness Month

Guest post by Lora Setter, LMCIT public safety program coordinator

January is Mental Wellness Month. It’s a month dedicated to focusing on mental health. A time to prioritize positive mental health habits such as exercise, connecting with friends, practicing mindfulness, and paying close attention to how you’re feeling. It’s a time to consider if you can better manage your mental health by practicing healthy habits or if you need professional help to feel better. While mental wellness is important for everyone, it’s a particular focus for people in the public safety profession. 

Responding to car accidents, medical emergencies, death scenes, house fires, and other tragic events, along with the normal everyday stressors of being human, can take a toll on the mental health of a first responder. First responders absorb the traumas and pain of the community; therefore, they must be supported with wellness, resilience, and treatment strategies. 

There is an organization working to bring more awareness to the issue of public safety mental health called the MN Public Safety Wellness Initiative. It’s made up of 15 organizations that want public safety personnel, city/county governments, and the greater community to stay aware of the fact that because of the nature of their job duties public safety personnel may be at an increased risk of trauma-related mental illnesses. 

To further these ideas, the MN Public Safety Wellness Initiative has created a public safety mental health campaign with the mantra ACCEPT – PREVENT – TREAT:  

ACCEPT – Let’s talk about our troubles and normalize the conversation about mental health challenges.

PREVENT – Create wellness philosophies in public safety, so public safety personnel have the resources to be well and stay well.  

TREAT – Public safety personnel can be successfully treated for mental illness while continuing to work and allowing them to return to work after being treated. 

As we recognize that January is Mental Wellness Month, let’s also be aware of the mental health challenges that public safety work may create. Let’s support public safety personnel in their efforts to be well and stay well. Happy New Year!