Supporting brain health and wellness for public safety professionals is good for all of us

On Friday local first responders will meet with Angela Nolz, a licensed clinical counselor and integrated health therapist at Sanford Luverne, and we’re happy to hear our caregivers will get some care for themselves.
When a tragedy happens in a community, public safety professionals absorb that pain. They experience significantly more traumatic events than the average person, resulting in higher rates of stress-related conditions like depression, anxiety, substance abuse and PTSD. But our local heroes don’t often seek help for themselves.
Friday’s meeting coincides with the recent launch of Minnesota’s Public Safety Wellness Initiative, which supports wellness for first responders as a shared, community responsibility that starts with a culture of awareness and compassion.
Rock County is blessed with some of the best firemen, emergency medical responders and law enforcement in the region, and we’re hoping that by keeping them healthy, they’ll continue doing what they do best.
Minnesota public safety professionals are leaving the profession at an unsustainable rate, and their employers are seeking solutions to prevent traumatic injuries and help individuals heal.
The Minnesota Public Safety Wellness Initiative aims to spread awareness about the importance of talking about struggles (accept), being proactive about wellness (prevent), and knowing that healing is possible (treat). Accept – Prevent – Treat is a mantra for all who share in this mission.
The goals are to normalize mental health conversations in Minnesota’s public safety community, promote proactive wellness programs, and educate people that post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is treatable.
As a part of this campaign, the Initiative is urging every community to support public safety organizations in their efforts to accept, prevent and treat mental injuries that stem from traumatic on the job experiences. We hope Friday’s meeting is a positive step in that direction.
Founded in 2022, the Minnesota Public Safety Wellness Initiative is a group of 12 organizations working together to bring attention to the concern of mental health among Minnesota’s public safety professionals.
It includes the Minnesota Chiefs of Police Association, Minnesota State Fire Chiefs Association, National Alliance on Mental Illness Minnesota, League of Minnesota Cities, Metro Cities, Minnesota Sheriffs’ Association, Minnesota Association of Small Cities, Minnesota Board of Peace Officer Standards and Training, Minnesota Inter-County Association, Association of Minnesota Counties, Peer Support Advisory Board, and the First Responder Chaplain Division of the Spiritual Care Association. 
With this kind of support for so many of our local heroes, it’s an encouraging step in the right direction for all of us.
Brain health is health, and what’s good for our public safety professionals is good for all of us.