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lines to the right of the URL bar at the top of your browserAgencies should take an active role in developing effective programming.
These programs should not compete with each other or other services, but instead should become aspects of a full system of maintaining emotional wellness.
- Obtain Necessary Buy-In and Provide Top-Down Support. For such programming to be effective, agencies should promote “a wellness culture that permeates every level of the organization, starting at the top.” Top administrative staff should initiate and support such programming, and actively participate in efforts to fund, facilitate, and take part in the services they recommend to employees, sending a message that officer health is a fundamental priority for the agency.
- Get Involvement and Develop a Wellness Team. One hurdle in implementing a wellness program is employee buy-in. Agencies should not rely solely on a top-down approach, but also involve employees in planning and implementing programs. Identify representatives of multiple levels within the agency who are passionate about health and wellness, well connected, and relied upon by others.
- Connect with Other Agencies. Cultivate relationships with agencies similar in demographics who have implemented health and wellness programs to understand areas of both struggle and success.
- Define Wellness Mission and Goals. Create a mission statement that clearly defines the wellness program’s purpose and values. Tie goals directly to the mission statement, making sure they are specific, measurable, attainable, and relevant. Detail service components to be included (i.e., peer support, physical fitness, family wellness).
- Take a Proactive vs. Reactive Approach. Preventing crises is often easier and more cost effective than solving them. Therefore, agencies should take an active role in helping develop officers and firefighters who are resilient to mental stress and physically fit from the start, to reduce their health risks later. Agencies should focus resources on education, intervention, and prevention.
- Increase Convenience. One important consideration in executing wellness programming is convenience. Improving and increasing access to services is critical to any program’s success. Employees will be more likely to use mental health and physical health programming if it is available at a convenient time and place. Not all employees may feel comfortable accessing services at a location or with an individual that the agency has designated. When possible, employees should be given some flexibility and options regarding where and by whom they are seen.
- Offer Confidential Options. Mental health needs can be deeply personal. Development of all health and wellness programming should keep confidentiality at the forefront. While programming such as group fitness classes and nutrition or mental health seminars can be helpful for officers, some programming should be anonymous and confidential. This could include accessibility to anonymous hotlines, and confidential and private peer support and/or wellness check-ins.