Page 56 - November 2019 FOP

Working toward wellness in the 12th District
Officers in the 12th District work hard all year to look after the members of their community. But during Suicide Aware- ness Month in September, Sergeant An- drew Doerge thought it was an appro- priate time to focus on the wellbeing of their own.
Sept. 23 launched the official 12th District Wellness Week, when each day consisted of informative presentations, relaxation activities and other features to help officers destress and learn more about mental and physical health.
“The reason this came about was be- cause of the increase in officer-related suicides,” shared Doerge, who, with the help of other officers and members of the community, organized a schedule of mental health features for each day of the week. “We tried to target as many areas of personal wellness that we could, such as financial, physical and mental.”
Each roll call during Wellness Week featured an informative presentation by mental health and wellness professionals including the National Alliance on Men- tal Illness (NAMI), Employee Assistance Program (EAP) and Chicago Patrolmen’s Federal Credit Union. Doerge hoped that these presentations would give officers
the opportunity to ask questions and keep their mental health in check while balancing the complexity of the job and a personal life.
“It was very helpful,” Doerge noted. “Some officers don’t want to reach out directly. I found that they were very in- terested in speaking with EAP.”
Wellness Week didn’t just take over roll call, though. Throughout the week, officers were encouraged to stop by the community room, where various de- compression features were available to show officers the importance of self-care and personal health.
Booths offering free massages and the chance to relax with pets helped officers relax and refresh throughout the day.
Each watch was also provided with
meals generously donated by supportive restaurants in the community.
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