Local departments and organizations are making great strides in providing emergency personnel with access to mental health resources and challenging stigmas that have persisted for decades.
KENT COUNTY, MI — The recent deaths of two Oakland and Hillsdale County deputies and one Warren firefighter have brought added attention to the importance of mental health resources for emergency personnel.
“Every time something like this happens, it feels like you lose a member of your family,” said retired police officer Scott Taylor.
Taylor currently serves as a Leader Peer for Frontline Strong Together (FST5), a first-of-its-kind network connecting emergency medical personnel with mental health resources specific to their needs.
“When I see the impact this has on everyone, it kind of stings me because I know it has such a strong impact on my own agency,” said Christy Bruss, a former dispatcher and now a peer trainer for FST5.
FST5 was founded after police and fire unions lobbied Michigan to invest in mental health resources for emergency personnel, so the state partnered with Common Ground and Wayne State University.
The organisation operates a 24/7 phone line where callers can remain anonymous and speak to professionals who are former paramedics.
The organization also promotes peer support groups and access to mental health care within the department.
“What we’ve learned in Michigan is that it’s often paramedics who people turn to for help, but sometimes paramedics don’t know how to get help,” said Manisha Lyari, program manager for FST5. “We know paramedics need a place to get help, and we’re seeing that right now. It’s more of a need than anything else.”
Both FST5’s colleagues and Grand Rapids Police Chief Eric Winstrom said there is a stigma among the emergency medical service community about turning to professionals for mental health help.
“Decades ago, for a police officer to seek help from a mental health professional was seen as a sign of weakness and it put our careers, our profession in jeopardy,” Winstrom said.
He said he has faced many challenges throughout his career as a paramedic.
“I lost a friend to homicide in Chicago and it’s extremely hard,” Winstrom said, “and it’s even harder to go down the street and see a stranger who’s a homicide victim, especially if that person is a child. It can be emotionally devastating and it can build up over time, which is why it’s so important that we have resources.”
GRPD utilizes in-house clinicians, and Winstrom said it has changed the face of mental health in his department.
“It’s a big step in the right direction for our profession that it’s normal for an officer to walk down the hallway and say, ‘Oh, you know, I’m going up for therapy. I’ll be back in 45 minutes or an hour,'” Winstrom said.
Taylor and Bruss also discussed the challenges of countering negative attitudes towards dealing with mental health issues.
“I held it in a little bit in my old sect and kept it in,” Brusset said, “and I didn’t handle my mental state very well because at that point we weren’t supposed to be. We were supposed to be just as tough as the guys were, but unfortunately it came out and I really had a lot of issues with having emotions.”
Brusset and Taylor said the services PST5 provides are important because the people who get to know paramedics and are best placed to care for them are their peers in the paramedic community.
We also work to develop mental health skills that benefit all age groups.
“We teach our younger crew at the academy and stuff. We go in there and tell them, ‘Hey, this is what you might see, feel, touch or hear. Here’s how you can deal with it and get through it.’ Therapy’s not a bad thing. Really, really not. Therapy is a great thing,” Brusset said.
FST5 also provides mental health resources to family members of emergency personnel.
Our toll-free, confidential 24/7 phone line is 1-833-34-STRONG or 1-833-347-8766.
►Make it easy to stay up to date on stories like this: Download the 13 ON YOUR SIDE app now.
Have a news tip? Email News@13onyourside.com,our company’s Facebook page or twitter. subscribe YouTube Channel.
Watch 13 ON YOUR SIDE for free Roku, Amazon Fire TV StickApple TV, and mobile phones.
