Terry Hastings didn't set out to become New York State's first Chief Wellness Officer. He built the case for the role one needs assessment, one training module, one hard conversation at a time.
He partnered with the Institute for Disaster Mental Health and the Benjamin Center at SUNY New Paltz to survey over 6,000 first responders statewide, the first assessment of its kind in New York. What they found: 16% reported suicidal ideation, four times the general population. Among dispatchers, it was 21%.
Now Terry's leveraging that data to lead the largest state-level wellness effort in the country.
In this episode, Terry breaks down:
• Why dispatchers reported the highest rates of suicidal ideation at 21%
• The gap in culturally competent mental health care and what New York is doing to close it
• Why Brazilian jiu-jitsu became central to his own wellness practice, and the new course he's launching for public safety professionals
• What a Wellness Officer Roundtable actually accomplishes
Guest: Terry Hastings, Chief Wellness Officer, New York State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services
Hosted by Lt. David Dachinger (Ret.), Dr. Stacy Raymond, and Bonnie Rumilly, LCSW/EMT
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★ Resources for Responder Wellness ★
• Fitness: FightCamp (code RESILIENCE for 10% off) http://joinfightcamp.com/rr
• Free App: CRACKYL http://crackyl.respondertv.com
• Book: Helping the Helpers https://a.co/d/dm0VS4Q
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