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Tag: mental and behavioral health

All Clear Foundation Names Mike Taigman Chairman of the Board

This appointment demonstrates its commitment to serving those in emergency services with the wellness resources they need, when they need them, free of charge

Denver, Colorado, USA – All Clear Foundation (ACF), a national 501c3 nonprofit dedicated to improving the wellbeing and longevity of Emergency Responders, including Healthcare Workers, and their families, has appointed Mike Taigman Chairman of the Board.

“My life’s purpose–for my entire life–has been to recognize suffering in all its forms and do something about it. All Clear Foundation’s mission is in complete alignment with that passion,” says Taigman. “I am humbled and excited by this opportunity.”

A Proven Track Record

Taigman brings a wealth of experience to this role. He spent decades on the streets of Denver as a paramedic, honing his “people first” approach. The author of more than 600 articles in professional journals, Taigman is a recognized expert in the areas of quality improvement, data science, leadership, and EMS. He serves as adjunct faculty at University of Maryland, Baltimore County and UCSF, and he is the Improvement Guide at FirstWatch, a data analytics firm dedicated to quality improvement in public safety.

“We are thrilled to have Mike on board,” says Rhonda Kelly, the foundation’s Executive Director. “His passion for improving quality of life among Emergency Responders is sincere and his track record is unparalleled. We appreciate his focus on the full spectrum of wellness supports from proactive education to crisis intervention.  And we are very excited about his commitment to utilizing evidence-based practices to drive improvement.”

ACF relies upon the power of strategic partnerships to affect change and appreciates Taigman’s extensive experience building and growing partnerships in the Responder wellness world. In addition to facilitating development of EMS Agenda 2050, a vision EMS 20 years into the future, he is the author of Super-Charge Your Stress Management in the Age of COVID and is regular faculty at the Institute for Healthcare Improvement.

 

A Vision Forward

Among his top priorities, Taigman looks forward to ensuring the sustainability of All Clear’s mission. “My hope is to support the ongoing mission and build sustainable support and funding for the foundation so we can continue this important work,” says Taigman. “There’s so much evidence that being involved in emergency services and healthcare takes a toll on the folks doing the job.”

“All Clear Foundation has pulled together an ecosystem of resources that is unmatched and provides them free of charge to Emergency Responders, their agencies, and their families. Securing reliable support for these efforts is essential and ongoing.”

A Clear Need

The need is there. One study found Emergency Responders suffer from depression and PTSD at five times the rate of the general population. Among the many challenges inherent in the work are frequent trauma exposure, rotating shift schedules, limited agency support, amplified stress on the family and other relationships, and physical injury.

“Too many Emergency Responders have paid for their service with their lives, either in quality or longevity,” says Director Kelly. “The barriers of shame, stigma, lack of local resources, and lack of finances have kept many from accessing the supports they deserve and need. This is where All Clear Foundation steps in. Built by Responders, for Responders, we are here to help across the domains of wellness: mental, emotional, physical, social, and spiritual.”

Supporting First Responders

All Clear Foundation provides an array of easily accessible and navigable wellness solutions at no cost to agencies or participants. ResponderStrong, its mental health initiative, has had a significant impact nationally and continues to grow with hybrid-format educational content and digital tools. Partners organizations include Global Medical Response, FirstNet-Built with AT&T, Abbott Nutrition, The Center for Relationship Education, IndyCar, IPSDI, Sigma Tactical Wellness, and NERPSC.

“The work All Clear and its partner organizations provide is saving lives,” says Taigman. “But, beyond that, it’s making Emergency Responders happier, healthier, and more resilient. This is good news for all of us.”

 

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ABOUT FIRSTWATCH

Since 1998, FirstWatch has been helping EMS agencies monitor real-time situational awareness, operational performance, clinical quality and performance improvement measures, as well as health surveillance, bioterrorism or other potentially concerning incidents. FirstWatch is designed to aggregate data from your agency’s CAD, ePCR, ProQA, RMS, Hospital ED, Billing and Phone system into a single, automated real-time view. For more information, visit www.firstwatch.net.

ABOUT ALL CLEAR FOUNDATION

Through assessing community wellness needs, priorities, and barriers, All Clear Foundation, a 501c3 public charity, leverages the power of strategic partnerships to create easily accessible and navigable systems of wellness solutions, improving the wellbeing and longevity of those who serve our communities. In 2019, ACF was founded by Global Medical Response as an autonomous public charity designed to serve and benefit the national Emergency Responder community. As one of the largest employers of Public Safety personnel in the U.S., GMR believes it has a duty to support the overall wellness of all Responders nationally. All Clear Foundation’s mission is to improve the overall wellbeing and longevity of those who serve our communities in times of need. We believe that healthy emergency responders contribute to healthier communities. For more information, visit www.allclearfoundation.org.

For more information, please contact Crawford Coates at ccoates@firstwatch.net.

OSHA Publishes Mental Health Resources

OSHA Publishes Resources to Assist Employers with Mental Health & Wellness

The United States Department of Labor Occupational Safety & Health Administration has posted numerous resources and tools for employers to utilize to combat workplace stress.  OSHA has published these resources following a survey conducted by the American Psychological Association in 2021 that reported burnout and stress at an all-time high across all professions and that “actions from their employers would help their mental health.”

The resources published by OSHA include:

  1. Guides for Employers for both Senior Managers and Frontline Supervisors
  2. Mental Health Checklists for Senior Managers and Frontline Supervisors
  3. Workplace Stress Sample Survey Questions
  4. Myth Buster Fact Sheets about Workplace Stress
  5. Workplace Postings regarding Workplace Stress & Mental Health
  6. Public Service Announcements on Suicide Prevention Month
  7. Training Resources for Employers

Employers are starting to recognize the impacts that worker mental health has in the workplace.  Statistics cited by OSHA reveal that workplace stress has been reported to cause 120,000 deaths in the U.S. each year.  Nearly 83% of workers suffer from work-related stress and more than half of those report that workplace stress impacts their home life.  Importantly, for every $1.00 spent on ordinary mental health concerns, employers see a $4.00 return in productivity gains.

The American Psychological Association encourages employers to develop mental health and wellness programs in the workplace.  They recommend that employers go beyond simply offering an Employee Assistance Program (EAP). They recommend a cross-departmental review of your company’s EAP offerings to assess if they are meeting your workforce needs.  Also, ensure that your program includes mental health professionals from diverse backgrounds and specialties.  Additionally, they encourage launching a communications campaign about the things that your EAP professionals can cover, including stress, mental health, and financial guidance. Most importantly, ensure that your frontline leaders are informed and able to communicate the EAP availability and offerings to your team.

Under the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (MHPAEA), all employers sponsored health plans are required to offer the same level of health coverage for mental health-related concerns as for any other medical concerns. Most short- and long-term disability insurance plans offer a limited number of free Employee Assistance Plan visits as part of the included benefits. Lastly, American Ambulance Association members get free access to the Counselor Match Program, which provides access to mental health counselors with extensive experience in working with EMS and public safety professionals.

If you need assistance with this, or any other workplace challenges, please contact the AAA at hello@ambulance.org.

Taking Care of Our Own 2022

US DOL | Building Mental Health-Friendly Workplaces

The U.S. Department of Labor cordially invites you to a virtual event in honor of Mental Health Awareness Month.

Date: Wednesday, May 25, 2022

Time: 2:00 p.m. ET

Location: Streaming online

Register: Click here to register to receive the accessible event link.

Tune in to learn about the U.S. Department of Labor’s commitment to promoting mental health-friendly workplaces and ensuring America’s workers can access the equitable and inclusive mental health services they need. Featuring insightful dialogues and knowledge sharing, the event will explore mental health parity, the role of the workplace in addressing the nation’s mental health crisis and strategies for fostering work environments that support workers with mental health conditions.

Featured guests will include:

  • Marty Walsh, U.S. Secretary of Labor
  • Julie Su, U.S. Deputy Secretary of Labor
  • Ali Khawar, Acting Assistant Secretary, Employee Benefits Security Administration
  • Taryn Williams, Assistant Secretary, Office of Disability Employment Policy

Please join us for this special event!

Click here to register to receive the accessible event link.

U.S. Department of Labor
Employee Benefits Security Administration

DRIVING CHANGE • CREATING OPPORTUNITY

Statement for House Ways & Means Hearing on America’s Mental Health Crisis

Committee on Ways and Means

U.S. House of Representatives Hearing on “America’s Mental Health Crisis”

Statement of Shawn Baird, President, American Ambulance Association

February 2, 2022

Chairman Neal, Ranking Member Brady, and members of the Committee, on behalf of the members of the American Ambulance Association (AAA), I greatly appreciate the opportunity to provide you with a written statement on America’s Mental Health Crisis. Simply put, America’s hometown heroes who provide emergency medical services and transitional care need the Congress to recognize the significant stress and trauma paramedics and emergency medical technicians (EMTs) have experienced as a result of this pandemic. The AAA urges members of Congress not to forget these heroes and to expressly include all ground ambulance service personnel in efforts to address America’s Mental Health Crisis.

Emergency medical services (EMS) professionals are ready at a moment’s notice to provide life-saving and life-sustaining treatment and medical transportation for conditions ranging from heart attack, stroke, and trauma to childbirth and overdose. These first responders proudly serve their communities with on-demand mobile healthcare around the clock. Ground ambulance service professionals have been at the forefront of our country’s response to the mental health crisis in their local communities. Often, emergency calls related to mental health services are triaged to the local ground ambulance service to address.

While paramedics and EMTs provide important emergency health care services to those individuals suffering from a mental or behavioral health crisis, these front-line workers have been struggling to access the federal assistance they need to address the mental health strain that providing 24-hour care, especially during a COVID-19 pandemic, has placed on them. We need to ensure that there is equal access to mental health funding for all EMS agencies, regardless of their form of corporate ownership so that all first responders can receive the help and support they need.

EMS’s Enhanced Role in the Pandemic

As if traditional ambulance service responsibilities were not enough, paramedics and EMTs have taken on an even greater role on the very front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic. In many areas, EMS professionals lead Coronavirus vaccination, testing, and patient navigation. As part of the federal disaster response subcontract, EMS personnel even deploy to other areas around the country to pandemic hotspots and natural disasters to bolster local healthcare resources in the face of extraordinarily challenging circumstances.

Mental & Behavioral Health Challenges Drive Staffing Shortages on the Front Line

Myriad studies show that first responders face much higher-than-average rates of post- traumatic stress disorder[1], burnout[2], and suicidal ideation[3]. These selfless professionals work in the field every day at great risk to their personal health and safety—and under extreme stress.

Ambulance service agencies and fire departments do not keep bankers’ hours. By their very nature, EMS operations do not close during pandemic lockdowns or during extreme weather emergencies. “Working from home” is not an option for paramedics and EMTs who serve at the intersection of public health and public safety. Many communities face a greater than 25% annual turnover[4] of EMS staff because of these factors. In fact, across the nation EMS agencies face a 20% staffing shortage compounded by near 20% of employees on sick leave from COVID-19. This crisis-level staffing is unsustainable and threatens the public safety net of our cities and towns.

Sadly, to date, too few resources have been allocated to support the mental and behavioral health of our hometown heroes. I write today to ask for Congressional assistance to help the helpers as they face the challenges of 2022 and beyond.

Equity for All Provider Types

Due to the inherently local nature of EMS, each American community chooses the ambulance service provider model that represents the best fit for its specific population, geography, and budget. From for-profit entities to municipally-funded fire departments to volunteer rescue squads, EMS professionals share the same duties and responsibilities regardless of their organizational tax structure. They face the same mental health challenges and should have equal access to available behavioral health programs and services.

Many current federal first responder grant programs and resources exclude the tens of thousands of paramedics and EMTs employed by for-profit entities from access. These individuals respond to the same 911 calls and provide the same interfacility mobile healthcare as their governmental brethren without receiving the same behavioral health support from

Federal agencies. To remedy this and ensure equitable mental healthcare access for all first responders, we recommend that:

  • During the current public health emergency and for at least two years thereafter, eligibility for first responder training and staffing grant programs administered by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (such as SAMHSA Rural EMS Training Grants and HHS Occupational Safety and Health Training Project Grants) should be expanded to include for-profit entities. Spending on training and services for mental health should also be included as eligible program
  • Congress should authorize the establishment of a new HHS grant program open to public and private nonprofit and for-profit ambulance service providers to fund paramedic and EMT recruitment and training, including employee education and peer-support programming to reduce and prevent suicide, burnout, mental health conditions and substance use
  • Any initiatives to fund hero pay or death benefits for first responders should be inclusive of all provider models—for-profit, non-profit, and

The rationale for the above requests is twofold. First, ensuring the mental health and wellness of all EMS professionals—regardless of their employer’s tax status—is the right thing to do.

Second, because keeping paramedics and EMTs employed by private ambulance agencies who are on the frontlines of providing vital medical care and vaccinations during this pandemic is the smart thing to do.

Thank you for considering this request to support ALL of our nation’s frontline heroes. They are ready to answer your call for help, 24/7—two years into this devastating pandemic, will Congress answer theirs?

Please do not hesitate to contact American Ambulance Association Senior Vice President of Government Affairs, Tristan North, at tnorth@ambulance.org or 202-486-4888 should you have any questions.


  • Prevalence of PTSD and common mental disorders amongst ambulance personnel: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr 2018;53(9):897-909.
  • ALmutairi MN, El Mahalli AA. Burnout and Coping Methods among Emergency Medical Services Professionals. J Multidiscip Healthc. 2020;13:271-279. Published 2020 Mar 16. doi:10.2147/JMDH.S244303
  • Stanley, I. H., Hom, M. A., & Joiner, T. E. (2016). A systematic review of suicidal thoughts and behaviors among police officers, firefighters, EMTs, and Clinical Psychology Review, 44, 25–44. https://doi.org/10.1016/j. cpr.2015.12.002
  • Doverspike D, Moore S. 2021 Ambulance Industry Employee Turnover Study. 3rd Washington, DC: American Ambulance Association; 2021.

NIOSH Seeks Public Comment on Interventions for Work-Related Stress Through November 26

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), is seeking public comment on current evidence-based, workplace and occupational safety and health interventions to prevent work-associated stress, support stress reduction, and foster positive mental health and well-being among the nation’s health workers, including first responders and EMS clinicians. The NHTSA Office of EMS is committed to working with our Federal partners to prioritize efforts that address the high rates of stress, burnout, depression, anxiety and suicide among members of the EMS community. This request for information is an opportunity to make sure your voice is heard.

Learn More

NIOSH invites comment on best practices, promising practices or successful programs related to providing stress prevention and mental health services to health workers, including but not limited to employee assistance programs, screenings, supervisor trainings, workplace policies, talk therapy, mindfulness, peer support and mobile apps.

Comments and responses may be submitted here through Friday, November 26, 2021.

HHS | $103mm for Healthcare Workforce Resiliency and to Address Burnout

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: HHS Press Office
202-690-6343
media@hhs.gov

HHS Announces $103 Million from American Rescue Plan to Strengthen Resiliency and Address Burnout in the Health Workforce

Today, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), announced the availability of an estimated $103 million in American Rescue Plan funding over a three-year period to reduce burnout and promote mental health among the health workforce. These investments, which take into particular consideration the needs of rural and medically underserved communities, will help health care organizations establish a culture of wellness  among the health and public safety workforce and will support training efforts that build resiliency for those at the beginning of their health careers.

“The Biden-Harris Administration is committed to ensuring our frontline health care workers have access to the services they need to limit and prevent burnout, fatigue and stress during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond,” said HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra. “It is essential that we provide behavioral health resources for our health care providers – from paraprofessionals to public safety officers – so that they can continue to deliver quality care to our most vulnerable communities.”

Health care providers face many challenges and stresses due to high patient volumes, long work hours and workplace demands. These challenges were amplified by the COVID-19 pandemic, and have had a disproportionate impact on communities of color and in rural communities. The programs announced today will support the implementation of evidence-informed strategies to help organizations and providers respond to stressful situations, endure hardships, avoid burnout and foster healthy workplace environments that promote mental health and resiliency.

“This funding will help advance HRSA’s mission of developing a health care workforce capable of meeting the critical needs of underserved populations,” said Acting HRSA Administrator Diana Espinosa. “These programs will help to combat occupational stress and depression among our health care workers as they continue their heroic work to defeat the pandemic.”

There are three funding opportunities that are now accepting applications:

  • Promoting Resilience and Mental Health Among Health Professional Workforce – Approximately 10 awards will be made totaling approximately $29 million over three years to health care organizations to support members of their workforce. This includes establishing, enhancing, or expanding evidence-informed programs or protocols to adopt, promote and implement an organizational culture of wellness that includes resilience and mental health among their employees.
  • Health and Public Safety Workforce Resiliency Training Program – Approximately 30 awards will be made totaling  approximately $68 million over three years for educational institutions and other appropriate state, local, Tribal, public or private nonprofit entities training those early in their health careers. This includes providing evidence-informed planning, development and training in health profession activities in order to reduce burnout, suicide and promote resiliency among the workforce.
  • Health and Public Safety Workforce Resiliency Technical Assistance Center – One award will be made for approximately $6 million over three years to provide tailored training and technical assistance to HRSA’s workforce resiliency programs.

To apply for the Provider Resiliency Workforce Training Notice of Funding Opportunities, visit Grants.gov. Applications are due August 30, 2021.

Learn more about HRSA’s funding opportunities.

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