Page 43 - October 2019 FOP

Knapp Medical Center
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We Take Care of You and Your Family
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• Serving Chicago Police Officers and their families since 1957
• We accept Approved CPD Health Plans and all Private Insurance
• On-site Pharmacy
• On-site lab for bloodwork and EKG
• On staff at Mercy Hospital and Medical Center and Illinois Masonic Medical Center
• Convenient Location with Free Parking in rear
Knapp Medical Center LTD Keith C. Knapp, Jr, MD
3303 S Halsted St • Chicago, IL 60608
Hours
Monday 8 a.m.–6 p.m. • Tuesday 8 a.m.–5 p.m. Wednesday 6 a.m.–5 p.m. • Thursday 8 a.m.–6 p.m. Friday 8 a.m.–3 p.m. • Saturday 8 a.m.–Noon
CALL NOW for an appointment: 773-890-0800
COMMITTED to serving CPD members and their families
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meant the world to him,” Father Dan shared. “I think an officer hearing that somebody cares about them goes a long way. Part of what brings people to making that decision to take their life is a feeling that nobody is going to miss them. But just a simple phone call lets them know they are not alone.”
Dr. Sobo wonders whether wellbeing checks could become a mandatory part of roll calls. That would certainly be more pro- ductive than time spent looking at your cell phone.
Or perhaps more attention just needs to be given, like it does when officers are in the academy. Lodge 7 member Rob Casale, a licensed professional counselor, teaches stress lab at the acad- emy. This is an eight-hour course that focuses on awareness and teaches recruits about the unique stressors in law enforcement.
Casale proposes a fundamental follow-up to this training that every officer should get every year.
“Preventive care can be done with wellness checks,” he de- tails. “Just like you go to the doctor for a physical every year, an officer can go to talk to somebody about their mental health. You should have a day when you don’t have to work. You can just talk to somebody about your mental health. Just to check in and perhaps get some psycho education or talk about some positive coping skills.”
Clearly, it’s necessary to deploy all of the above to avoid one more officer suffering like Paul Escamilla, who took his own life on Sept. 16. The officer from 024 leaves behind a wife and three children.
The following information that is posted on the Lodge 7 web- site explains how to help the family:
If you are interested in donating to the family, go into any Chi- cago Patrolmen’s Federal Credit Union and donate to the Paul Escamilla Family fund. If you cannot make it to a credit union, you can Venmo directly into the account using the number 7089906195.
CHICAGO LODGE 7 ■ OCTOBER 2019 43