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Not All Wounds Are Visible

BY RONA LEVITT, RN, FNS, CPHA

Lt. Maureen (Moe) Themis-Fernandez
remembers that day clearly. She stopped
by the home of a Korean War Veteran
and retired officer unannounced. After
knocking repeatedly, he answered the
door with an anguished look on his face
and then collapsed sobbing into her
arms. He told her that after years of suf-
fering with PTSD and its related anxiety
and depression, he simply couldn’t take
it anymore and was about to commit sui-
cide when he was interrupted by her
knock on his door. That man was her
father.
PTSD is a common cause of suicide Lt. Maureen (Moe) Themis-Fernandez,
among First Responders and in 2017, Davie Police Department
243 of them did commit suicide. That’s tion process.
more than the number of those who died • An annual Family/Partner Support
in the Line of Duty. Many First Night in which loved ones are educated
Responders hesitate to seek help due to about PTSD, suicide signs and symptoms
the stigma that has traditionally been and provided with corresponding avail-
associated with mental health related able resources.
issues but this mindset is beginning to • Training for first line supervisors and
change. This is due to increasing aware- command staff on mental health issues,
ness raising and education efforts taking available resources, and problem-solving
place within the various First Responder techniques.
communities. • A copy of Emotional Survival for Law
Lt. Moe, a 23 year veteran of the Davie Enforcement: A Guide for Officers and
Police Department is committed to fight- Their Families by Kevin M. Gilmartin,
ing for her “brothers and sisters” in blue Ph.D., is provided to all sworn employ-
and red. During the past few years, she ees.
has initiated a number of Mental Health • Welcoming fire department person-
Programs at her Department. These nel to all trainings and debriefings.
include: It’s important for our first responders
• A Chaplaincy Program oriented to establish a strong and open relation-
toward providing personal support for ship with their primary care physicians
officers and non-sworn employees alike so that the “non-visible wounds” can be
on both an individual and a collective picked up and treated early. There’s no
basis. The latter includes chaplain led question that early detection is the key to
debriefings following critical incidents. prevention and with these patients it res-
• A Peer Support Program in which onates more than ever. Not all wounds
both sworn and non-sworn personnel are visible for First Responders but at the
receive advanced training in Mental Davie Police Department, efforts to save
Health issues. These individuals then these precious lives are!
become “buddies” to officers in crisis to
provide support while helping them nav- Lt. Moe can be reached at
igate available resources. Maureen_themis-fdez@davie-fl.gov.
• An initiative to educate retirees about Rona Levitt can be reached
mental health issues and resources held at levirona@aol.com.
during their annual firearms requalifica- Specializing in Medically
Complex Patients

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