Page 34 - FOP March 2017 Newsletter

TO YOUR HEALTH CONTINUED FROM PAGE 33
from the Department of Justice investigation that im- pacts every officer, it’s the toll the job is taking on you and your families, and the need to address the causes. As a result, Father Dan, Rob Casale and many other of- ficers, experts, clinicians, health professionals and just people who care, are imploring every officer to not wind up on that poster, to ensure a return on investment from the cost of the job by taking care of yourself.
For whom there is a toll
Evidence of the toll the job has taken on Chicago Po- lice Officers came in waves this past Feb. 16. The Chica- go Police Survivors (CPS) held its third annual “Phoenix Rising” event at FOP Hall that night, and several hun- dred officers came through either after or before their shifts to experience the service from this volunteer group providing support for anybody who has been se- riously injured – physically or emotionally – in the line of duty through a traumatic incident.
Officers who are the victims of, or otherwise involved, in a shooting, stabbing, auto accident or other traumat- ic incident have been benefitting from the Chicago Po- lice Survivors. Brian Warner, Chair of the group’s board of directors, experienced the overwhelming feelings of anxiety, fear, anger and hopelessness when he was involved in a shooting and resurrected the CPS nearly four years ago. In addition to being a victim of the game, Warner has had a front-row seat to witness the cost of the job for his sisters and brothers.
“I think two things are happening to officers,” he be- gins. “They become jaded with this us-against-them mentality. Secondly, they isolate. They crawl inside themselves. They crawl inside a bottle. And they don’t process what is happening to them.”
Evidence of the physical cost of the job came in an- other wave on March 1 during the Lodge 7 Health Fair. Provider Knapp Medical Center, where renowned Dr. Keith Knapp, Jr. has been treating 9th District Officers for many years, sent a team of physicians, nurse practi- tioners and medical experts to evaluate the health and wellness of Lodge 7 members.
Interestingly, many members wanted to take time for an EKG to check for heart issues. With blood work and measuring of oxygen levels, body mass index (BMI) and blood pressure, as well as blood sugar, some members even put off getting their ashes on this Ash Wednesday to go through the medical evaluation.
“We see a physical toll that comes with the job,” ex- plains Knapp Medical Center Manager Maureen Kos- mala, whose brother is a Chicago Police Officer. “We see a lot of back issues with the beat cops, and a lot of them need to see a podiatrist because they are walking in their shoes all day. And the way they eat because of the hours or the time they have is not healthy in most cases.”
The Chicago Police Survivors “Phoenix Rising” event at FOP Hall on Feb. 16 gave attendees a chance to nd out about services such as the De- partment’s Employee Assistance Program, and brought increased aware- ness to some of the mental health challenges Chicago Police O cers face each day.
Check your health
The ailments and issues that are the cost of the job could fill up WebMD, including:
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Dr. Knapp diagnosed more of the “every day is the same thing” syndrome when talking with members at the March 1 Health Fair. “That comes from depres- sion,” Kosmala explains. “When you don’t want to do the things that used to make you happy; if you don’t want to tell anybody what you do anymore, that’s sad.”
Father Dan shares that he is seeing more and more officers who are having heart issues after a foot chase on the job. “The stress, poor diet and goofy hours are not conducive to a healthy existence,” he reinforces. The cardiac concerns are generating even more con- cerns for Father Dan. “I’m burying more police offi- cers than I would like to, guys in their 50s who had heart attacks. It’s not directly job-related, but if they had chosen a different profession...”
Rose Casale, who knows the life of an officer’s wife having been married to Rob since 2008, has been a medical professional for nearly 24 years and is the local representative for Serve and Protect, a 24-hour crisis hotline that facilitates mental health treatment for the public safety profession. The biggest prob- lem is that Police Officers cannot un-see what they are seeing on the job every day,” Casale reasons. “My husband said he saw a kid who was shot in the chest and the hole was so big, that his chest was wide open. All these things you see every day does affect you.” Warner is worried about that 20-year veteran officer who has seen the shooting victim and/or been the shooting victim allowing the PTSD to build up and bubble over. “His interactions with the citizens be- come bitter,” he relates. “Then, he’s arresting some- body who resists. A quick slap and his career is ru- ined. It’s a mark against the Department and the city has to pay out a couple million in a lawsuit.”
Since August, Casale has talked to 141 first respond- ers who have called the hotline and has observed the
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