Works Initiative News | Worker Wellness & Career Opportunities

Wellness & Well-being Highlights April 14th

Wellness & Well-being Highlights

for the

Week of Apr 14, 2025

This week’s edition of our Worker Wellness & Well-being blog looks at how a number of stories cited this week speak to the issue of how cuts in DC will (and already have) negatively impact much-needed services in local communities—to some positive news regarding the decline of US overdoses deaths—to the NFL’s position on ‘new’ helmets. This week I would like to take this opportunity to examine the article linked below that tells the story of how a person who was given a 2^nd chance now uses his lessons learned to create a ‘culture of care’ in the construction industry.

For too long, the construction industry has been looked upon in a negative light. Decades ago, many in the world of work saw us as something ‘anyone’ could fall back on to and still make a living wage with good benefits.* Many people in the US still look down upon those of us who work(ed) with our hands. A few would say this has to do with the 3 Ds: dirty; dark (or dull); and dangerous. While others might be inclined to lean on old stereotypes of a once White male-dominated sector of our economy: macho, drinking, swearing, risk-taking, etc. However, times have changed and as the old saying goes, “You have to break some eggs to make an omelet.”

To be sure, the construction industry for the past several decades has been touting a potential shortage of workers. Thanks to progressive thought leaders in the St. Louis market, most joint labor-management training committees met this challenge by re-thinking their recruitment strategies. Effective recruiting and retention programs like St. Louis’ BUD (Building Union Diversity) began to spring up and spread across then USA. And, yet, needs in many areas remained unmet. Meanwhile, college tuition costs started to skyrocket and college degrees lost their luster. As a result, today’s high school seniors have become discerning consumers. So, if our industry seeks to recruit and retain Gen Z workers, we must take into consideration what is important to them which requires letting go of old practices (i.e., hazing, bullying, etc.). Equally important, Gen Z is much more open to addressing a once-taboo topic of previous generations: Mental Health.

To this end, it was not until recently (~2016), for the most part, that the construction industry took serious steps in addressing issues like mental health, opioids awareness, and suicide prevention. For this, I thank Wash U’s School of Medicine and the unions, management associations, and apprenticeship training schools that participated in research since 2004 that truly moved the needle…thus, placing ‘mental’ aspects of safety in the construction industry on par with ‘physical’ aspects of safety. PLEASE take the time to read Cal’s article linked below. Hopefully, you will agree with me that this is just another meaningful step in a never-ending journey.

(*This notion was further exacerbated in our K-12 school system. How? If you were an urban/suburban child of the 1960-80s, I ask you to reflect upon the friends/students you knew who went to the Voc-Tech high school in your area v who followed the ‘college’ track.)

Source: https://www.forconstructionpros.com/business/business-services/coaching-consulting/article/22934249/safe-project-mental-health-and-substance-misuse-support-in-apprenticeship-programs

Construction / Change / Culture

UK Construction / Physical Activity / MH

Annual HC Screening = Suicide Prevention

AI & MH Therapy

Overdose deaths decrease…but this is NOT over

Misinformation: Fentanyl

Wellness & Well-being Highlights April 7th

Wellness & Well-being Highlights

for the

Week of April 7, 2025

This week’s edition of our Worker Wellness & Well-being blog looks at a CPWR report that suggests better benefits in construction equate to better mental health—to how recent cuts in Higher Ed are leading to a brain drain—to how newly imposed US tariffs are impacting the Ag and Construction sectors. This week I would like to take this opportunity to examine the importance of transparency and stability when communicating major changes to the masses.

Over the past 2 months, I think the word “whipsaw” has been used more times in the media than I have seen/heard in my entire 66 years. M-W defines whipsaw as “to beset or victimize in two opposite ways at once, by a two-phase operation.” One only needs to look at how stock prices retreated—across the board—this past week in order to gauge the temperature of the markets…a clear indication of future instability. It is one thing to take a position and stand by it…but a totally different issue when one goes back-and-forth and/or confuses the public with less than clear explanations. Case in point:

President Trump signed executive orders suspending new tariffs on many imports from Mexico and Canada, two days after he imposed sweeping levies of 25 percent on two of America’s closest economic partners. The exemptions, on goods covered by the trilateral trade pact Mr. Trump signed in his first term, were a whipsaw reversal that followed days of economic turmoil. Stocks in the United States closed down.¹

Why does this matter? Because actions like those just mentioned not only cause anxiety in the markets but in our offices, jobsites, and homes as well. To be sure, Faust-Hartnett cited that nearly ¾ of participants in a recent survey of 1000 people in the US workplace, “…believe anxiety, caused by the current global political and social environment, leads to burnout at work.”²Meanwhile, as I attended an international Mental Health committee meeting last weekend, I heard some of the group members express their serious concerns about the current undertakings in Washington, DC. Overall, the consensus was there no need to get too worked up as ‘this too shall pass’. While I agree most organizations have faults, I cannot condone the strategy of shoot-aim-fire!

To this end, earlier this past week, our nation witnessed a US Senator take an “active” stance against the current state of chaotic affairs. Sen C Booker set a new record for the longest speech in this chamber (>25 hours).³ The irony is that a speech—by a Black man—surpassed the previous record by Sen T Thurmond, a segregationist, who filibustered for ~24 hours to oppose the Civil Rights Act in 1957. As my dear (late) friend Gary Stelzer used to say, “What comes around, goes around.”

Sources: [1] https://www.nytimes.com/live/2025/03/06/us/trump-administration-news

[2] https://www.plansponsor.com/the-workplace-mental-health-crisis-of-2025/

[3]https://www.npr.org/2025/04/02/nx-s1-5349429/sen-cory-booker-on-his-marathon-25-hour-speech-on-the-senate-floor

Construction: Better Benefits = Better MH

Trade Conflict & Anxiety

Bolstering Global H&S

Head Protection: More on Safety Helmets

Teens / Growth / Resilience

Do You Have a Healthy Social Biome?

All Generations Seek Work-Life Balance

Employees: Less Collaborative, More Confrontational?

Spotting a Sports Gambling Problem

Myth of Sports Betting

Sammy’s Story: Missouri Works Initiative

Struggling to find gainful employment after his incarceration, Sammy heard about the Apprentice Ready Program, called Building Union Diversity (BUD) in St. Louis, from his pastor. “I was convicted of a felony,” Sammy shares. “When I got out of prison, I had difficulty finding good work.” Sammy, a father of five children ranging in age from toddler to teenager, worked two jobs but wasn’t earning enough. He was in desperate need of a sustainable career that would make it possible for him to support his family.

The Missouri Works Initiative’s BUD program was the solution Sammy sought. The 6-week program provided him with education on the unions, a bus pass, a weekly stipend, and a hands-on introduction to all the trades. “They took a chance on me and allowed me to change my life. Joining the BUD Program is the best decision I’ve made,” says Sammy. “I graduated from the program on a Thursday and started work the next Tuesday.”

Sammy is now a laborer with Bommarito Construction and a member of Local 110. “I didn’t have to do it alone,” says Sammy. “I had a great mentor named Rodney Griffin with Local 110. I’ve been in the field for six years now, and I’m able to be a mentor to new students. I share my experiences and help students understand the simple rules and etiquette of the work site, like the importance of being on time and staying off your cell phone. It’s great to help someone else succeed and build a new life.”

If you have experienced incarceration and feel like you’re facing an uphill battle in securing a sustainable career, Sammy wants you to know that you have options. “It can be better,” he says. “ I had friends on probation who are electricians now. If you’ve got someone willing to provide you with the opportunity to be successful, you should take it! The BUD Program did that for me.”

“I used to have a job, but now I have a career. You can have one, too,” says Sammy. “Go be a carpenter or electrician or ironworker. They can provide you with the best possible career in the trades. Making $45-50 an hour is some real motivation. The BUD Program trains you for free in five weeks. You’ll have a career. You just have to apply yourself.”

Start your journey here.

April 1, 2025/by Missouri Works Initiative

Worker Wellness News

Wellness & Well-being Highlights March 31st

Wellness & Well-being Highlights

for the

Week of Mar 31, 2025

This week’s edition of our Worker Wellness & Well-being blog looks at how the current political climate is impacting today’s workforce—to why secondary education administrators cringe at students’ Spring Break choices—to how US tariffs are cause for India’s hiring binge. This week I would like to take this opportunity to examine the importance of art and nature in the healing process.

In the first link below, CBS Sunday Morning reports, “…researchers have determined that involvement in the arts can improve public health and promote healing from illness, as well as protect against such problems as cognitive decline, heart disease, anxiety and depression.”¹ Understanding that we need to not merely feed our bodies is known as ‘social prescribing’… which is a healthcare approach wherein health professionals refer patients to non-clinical community activities and services (i.e., arts, movement, volunteering, etc.) in order to improve their patients’ health and well-being.

In the second link below, the NYT reporter proclaims, “There is growing research that shows how spending time in nature can improve mental, physical and cognitive health….”²I encourage readers to visit this link in order to discover how a doctor helped Hawaiians restore a specific, neglected land mass…in turn, healing this area was a means to healing natives’ bodies and souls. As a result, this sacred connection to the land allowed older people—once dependent on canes and walkers—to regain some mobility; diabetics saw their glucose levels drop; and depressed teens have become reinvigorated.

In these turbulent times, when it comes to our physical and mental well-being, all of us should to be open to various forms of self-care including, but not limited to, evidenced-based traditional and non-traditional methods.

Sources: [1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gzMVLd57idg

[2] https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/25/climate/hawaii-health-nature.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare

2025: MH Crisis in the Workplace

Workplace H&S: Top Concern

EHRs / Doctors / Suicide Prevention

Bricklayers “swarm” Struggling Workers

Mental Health Court

Mexico / Fentanyl / Harm Reduction

MO / Bill / Kratom

Cognition is like Art…

Art as Therapy

Nature as Medicine

Spring Break / Teens / Drinking…

Social Media / Harm / Teens

Impact of Long COVID

Retirement & Your Brain

Difficult to Diagnose

Frustrated Doctors

Doctors & Concierges

College Bball & Gambling

Germany & Nazi remains

Can Male Octopuses Adapt?

Vets / Invisible Wounds / Suicide

Consumers on the Economy

Carpenters Union & HEC

REI & NLRB

UC & ULP

VA / DOGE / Outstanding Vet

Trump / Musk / Conflict of Interest (COI)

Musk: More on COI

Trump / Musk / FEMA Freeze

Trump / Supreme Court / Teachers’ Grants

Social Security’s Failures

UAW / Trump / Tariffs

Vax Programs / Poor Nations / Cuts

Trump & Fed Unions

Trump & PLAs

Fed Workers Return to Chaos

RTO: Purpose v Presence

DOD tips its Hand

China / Military Drills / Taiwan

Supreme Court & Ghost Guns

What now / 23 & Me

I-70 Upgrades

Boeing withdraws Guilty Plea

US needs 90k GPs

Managers: Leadership Gap

Tariffs Impact on Northern Neighbors

India / Tariffs / Hiring Binge

AI & Job Hunting

AI & Construction

SkillsUSA: Future Workers

Update: TikTok Ban

Update: Student Loans

Tribute: Ida B Wells (Coin)

The Sun Queen

Upcoming webinars, etc.:

FREE Financial Wellness for Employees (4/2)

Why Carry Naloxone (Narcan)?

PTSD: Mobile ‘Safety’ App

Grief after Suicide (Open thru 4/25)

Construction: MH & Suicide Prevention

Missouri 988 (Resources)

NOTE: The links provided above are for informational purposes only. None of these serve as a substitute for medical advice one should obtain from his/her own primary care physician and/or mental health professional. Please contact jgaal@moworks.org with related questions or comments.

March 31, 2025/by Dr. John Gaal

Worker Wellness News

Wellness & Well-being Highlights March 24th

Wellness & Well-being Highlights

for the

Week of Mar 24, 2025

This week’s edition of our Worker Wellness & Well-being blog looks at how your hair stylist may play an important role your Mental Health—to how digital media is negatively impacting our youth—to the importance of neurodiversity in recruiting and hiring. This week I would like to take this opportunity to encourage readers examine the WSJ article on women and marriage.

The author, Rachel Wolfe, provides a variety of reasons why, in 2025, more and more women are going solo. She points to a number of shifts, including but not limited, a growing gender-related education gap, career opportunities, political affiliation, and how one defines a contemporary family. So, instead of settling for something less than, some women are doing their best to make the best of a lousy situation. As a result, Wolfe posits that more women are focusing on their friendships and careers vs dating and marriage.

To be sure, as per the article linked below, “A rise in earning power and a decline in the social stigma for being single has allowed more women to be choosy.” In fact, a couple of survey stats revealed:

34% of single women were looking for romance vs 54% of single men (2022) vs

38% of single women were looking for romance vs 61% of single men (2019);

…meanwhile…

48% of women said that being married was not too or not at all important for a fulfilling life vs 39% of men (2023) vs

31% of women said that being married was not too or not at all important for a fulfilling life vs 28% of men (2019).

The WSJ author further proclaims that, “The latest presidential election and the first months of the Trump administration have intensified this ideological rift.” As such, when it comes to romance, “…politics have become an expression of one’s core values about everything from economic inequality to bodily autonomy.”

Source: https://www.wsj.com/lifestyle/relationships/american-women-are-giving-up-on-marriage-54840971?st=WXWbzu&reflink=article_gmail_share

Defining HOPE

Barbers & MH

Is Anxiety Good

Gen Z & Rising MH Behaviors

Friendships @ Work

2025: Women & Marriage

Is Your Relationship Fun?

Mental Illness / Treatments / Dumb Ideas

Wellness & Well-being Highlights March 17th

Wellness & Well-being Highlights

for the

Week of Mar 17, 2025

This week’s edition of our Worker Wellness & Well-being blog looks at how drugs like Xanax are posing problems (i.e., anxiety, memory loss, physical pain) for patients seeking to quit the use of benzos—to how proposed cuts to SAMHSA (the govt agency that oversees efforts addressing drug addiction and mental illness) may negatively impact recent progress—to how Gen Z is seriously considering the skilled trades over the traditional “college for all” pathway. This week I would like to take this opportunity to continue my acknowledgement of women who have touched my life.

As most of us reflect on our years in the K-12 school system, we can likely point to a few teachers who positively impacted our lives. To me, those years provided the foundation for lifelong learning. As I think back, it was more often than not, women in higher education and the workplace who inspired me to think differently. Those women include Dr Celia Edmundson, Dr Deborah Henry, and Sr Antona Ebo.

To this end, just yesterday I was invited to participate in an event at St. Joseph’s Academy High School in St. Louis County. It was called “Witness History: The Sisters Who Marched on Selma.” The event consisted of watching the documentary movie (linked below), a panel discussion with 3 of the nuns who were in Selma (+ the film’s director), and a brief Q&A session. Two of these sisters actually marched (1 Black and 1 White). The third was a (White) nurse in the hospital who treated many of protesters/victims who were beaten by State Police near the site of the Edmond Pettus Bridge. Interestingly enough, the hospital where the nun who served as a nurse, was the only hospital in Selma willing to accept Negro patients. As sad and disturbing as it was to see/hear firsthand accounts about this dark era of US history, I was so VERY proud to see my dear friend, Sr Antona Ebo, front and center in this crucial turning point alongside other Civil Rights leaders like US Rep John Lewis and Ambassador Andrew Young.

As we enter further into a time of uncertainty and renewed bigotry, I cannot help but to think about words of wisdom from historical figures. Below is merely a sampling that come to mind:

J Lewis: “Do not get lost in a sea of despair. Be hopeful, be optimistic. Our struggle is not the struggle of a day, a week, a month, or a year, it is the struggle of a lifetime. Never, ever be afraid to make some noise and get in good trouble, necessary trouble.”

A Lincoln: “America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves.”

Napoleon: “Never interfere with an enemy while he’s in the process of destroying himself.”

E Burke: “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.”

Source: https://stlouiscatholicarchivescollective.com/sisters-on-the-silver-screen/

Construction Industry: Safety Attitudes

MH & Skilled Trades

MH struggles in the Workplace

Benzos: The Dark Side

Update on Fentanyl: Winning Battles but not the War

How Purdue Pharma Re-harms its Victims

Big Pharma & MH

AI’s impact on MH

Body Image & MH

Mindfulness & OUD Treatment

COVID & Grief

Deep Distress & Moral Injury

MH Professionals & Disasters

Aging @ Different Speeds

Palliative Psychiatry & Assisted Suicide

Benefits of Walking

The “Falsie” Journey

Cooking Oils & Your Health

B Sanders / PRO Act / NLRA

Fast Track to Labor Contracts?

New US Secretary of Labor Confirmed (1)

New US Secretary of Labor Confirmed (2)

Homebuilders / Tariffs / Pricing Pains

Update: US-DOT on Equity & Environment

Italy’s Labor Stance on Musk

BRC / Trump / Supreme Court

Dealing w/ anti-DEI

Eliminating Watchdogs = Foxes Guarding the Henhouse

DOGE: More Mistakes & Less Transparency

Will Musk Target Social Security?

Paid Family Leave v Career Setback

COVID’s impact on Construction

Adv Mfg Workers wanted in STL

DC Politicians sit back & watch “local” cuts

MO Politicians seek to reverse Prop A

IL Politicians battle Fentanyl

NY Construction Deaths Rise

Failing Economy + Lack of Housing = Trumpvilles

Domestic Workers: Saudi’s Mistreatment of African Women

Gen Z: College v Trades

Upcoming webinars, etc.:

988: Engaging Communities (3/27)

Financial (Employee) Wellness (4/2)

Narcan (Naloxone) Training (4/22)

NOTE: The links provided above are for informational purposes only. None of these serve as a substitute for medical advice one should obtain from his/her own primary care physician and/or mental health professional. Please contact jgaal@moworks.org with related questions or comments.

March 17, 2025/by Dr. John Gaal

Worker Wellness News

Wellness & Well-being Highlights March 10th

Wellness & Well-being Highlights

for the

Week of Mar 10, 2025

This week’s edition of our Worker Wellness & Well-being blog looks at why those who curse more may have a higher tolerance to pain—to why women tend to live longer than men—to how DOGE’s cuts may negatively affect Vets and retirees. This week I would like to take this opportunity to discuss the importance of women in the workplace.

March is the time of year we “officially” celebrate the contributions women have made to society. In the US, there are more women than men…and yet the “rules of the game” are seemingly still very male-oriented. Truth be told this is concerning to me as I have “4” daughters as well as a VERY understanding wife. However, equally important is the fact that I have worked and still work with some VERY talented women (to name a few: Dr Ann Marie Dale, Patte Ackermann, Diana Wilhold, Senator Gina Walsh, Dr Pamela Hatton….). While I have included several articles in this week’s blog honoring women in the workforce for their passion and compassion, the one that I wish to focus on is linked below. Why? Because this author’s research suggests reasons why girls (some of which should be our future leaders) avoid STEM (science, math, engineering, and math) careers.

While this author acknowledges that sexism plays a part in attracting and retaining women in the fields of engineering and computer science, he goes on to say this is NOT the major problem. In fact, he posits that if this claim of discrimination were true then why do stats in lesser developed countries (Read: More repressive) reveal just the opposite vs more developed countries (Read: Less repressive). Thus, in general, “Women with strong quantitative skills in poor countries have good reason to enter the sciences to make a living. Women in relatively rich countries can afford to pursue less lucrative careers without risking a life of poverty.” As such, in the US, we graduate more men PhDs in the STEM fields while we graduate more women PhDs in the social and life sciences fields. This author boils the choices down to the attractiveness of these fields to those genders. Simply put, in general, men are less social and like to tinker with objects while women are more social and seek connectiveness.

Therefore, the WSJ author proclaims it should be no surprise that women tend to migrate towards fields that emphasize caring and communication…like nursing and teaching. Sadly, society has devalued those (AKA women’s work) professions. It is high time that market forces correct the pay in these “caring” professions. As noted, with AI threatening jobs with less human interaction maybe the correction is in the not too distant future for those working in spaces that require the human touch!

Source: https://www.wsj.com/lifestyle/workplace/why-are-girls-less-likely-to-become-scientists-93307cd3?st=t7Akf6&reflink=article_gmail_share

Nurses in the Trenches

Need to know: Measles

Wellness & Well-being Highlights March 3rd

Wellness & Well-being Highlights

for the

Week of March 3, 2025

This week’s edition of our Worker Wellness & Well-being blog looks at how long waits, misinformation, access to the internet along with the chaos caused by the insurance industry have changed the doctor-patient relationship—to a couple of effective, yet short, “No Gym” workouts—to a great story exposing how religious institutions have left many retirees with seriously underfunded retirement accounts…no thanks to a legal provision that excludes these organizations from ERISA. This week I would like to take this opportunity to discuss the need to address the proverbial “elephant” in the room…and that is the notion of when you tell a lie long enough…it becomes the truth.

Having taken a number of ethics courses while in a variety of grad school programs, this aforementioned saying often became the focus of discussion. And, since my doctoral major was organizational leadership, building trust was another oft-mentioned topic…as well as issues like transparency, clear communications, modeling, etc. This brings me to the NYT articled mentioned below.¹ Herein, this author shares a number of these “alternative facts” currently being professed by very influential people in Washington, DC. People who are in positions to sway vast swaths of public opinion…in the name of “aggressively reshaping” the US and, some suggest, the world. The problem is that these same people rarely cite specifics and, if and when, they do…those “facts” have been seriously distorted. Food for thought: There is a reason why when one testifies in a US court s/he must swear to tell the WHOLE truth.

Which leads me to the 2^nd related article from the WP which cites Musk as saying something along the lines that DOGE has made mistakes but when we do, we immediately fix them.² Sadly, when one takes a chainsaw to a project vs a scalpel, in the name of swift efficiency…because that is what Americans voted for, damages done are rarely “immediately” fixable. Case in point, cutting USAID workers and contractors without fully understanding their roles—here and abroad—in the efforts to fight Ebola in Africa. Once funds are frozen and/or contracts canceled, those impacted workers need to move on with their lives. Trying to restore what once was is not a simple matter of merely hitting the reset button on one’s PlayStation.

As a history buff, I enjoy studying the US Civil War, wherein, our military losses totaled, as follows:

* ~600k deaths

* ~500k wounded

* ~400k missing

Going forward, I, for one, pray that clearer heads begin to prevail because the lives impacted by carelessly scaling back global public initiatives today will dwarf those just cited.

Sources: [1] https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/23/us/politics/trump-alternative-reality.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare

[2] https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2025/02/26/elon-musk-ebola-prevention-usaid-doge/

Have we lost TRUST in doctors?

Wall Street / Drug Misuse / Insider Trading

Fed Workers’ Mental Health

College Campus Crisis: MH

Schools / MH / Chatbots

Employers: MH’s Root Cause?

ACEs & Brain Development

Measles / Unvax Child’s Death / TX

What is HYGGE

Sleep Procrastination

Stress & Your Body

Aging: Bounce & Balance

Aging & Strong Bones

No Gym: 7-minute Low-impact Workout

No Gym: Getting Fit Fast

Tea: Health Benefits

Does “Red Light” therapy work?

Happy Hour Habits & Cancer

“Aging” pill for Dogs?

Update: Dockworkers’ vote

When Distorted Reality Drives Change

Update: Secty of Labor Nominee

NLRB: Still lacks a quorum

Options to Organizing?

Fed Unions fight back

DOGE: Crossing Ethical Lines

DOGE’s waste: Techies not using Tech?

Ebola: Musk is Misleading

CFPB under Fire

DOJ’s Purge

SSA’s Future?

AGC / Congress / Environmental Permits

Trump / OSHA / Heat Standard

Next (Cut) Target: 401(k)s?

STL City approves PW bill

Does RTO push cover Commuting Costs?

ERISA: How Churches are Failing Workers

Appealing a denied insurance claim

AI / Robots / REAL Jobs

AI / Homebuilding

AI & “Hallucinations”

Addiction Recovery “Farm”

Point Shaving: Byproduct of Sports Gambling

Skills vs Degrees

GW Carver: Tribute to a True Hero

Upcoming webinars, etc.:

Situational Awareness (3/12)

Suicide Prevention: QPR & Ag (3/20)

Cancer Prevention & Ag (4/10)

Substance & Suicide

Snowball: Alcohol Movie (short)

Africa / Faith / Suicide Prevention

CEEP: Campus Emotional Emergency Program

Team Resilience: Leading thru Change toolkit

NOTE: The links provided above are for informational purposes only. None of these serve as a substitute for medical advice one should obtain from his/her own primary care physician and/or mental health professional. Please contact jgaal@moworks.org with related questions or comments.

March 3, 2025/by Dr. John Gaal

Worker Wellness News

Wellness & Well-being Highlights February 24th

Wellness & Well-being Highlights

for the

Week of Feb 24, 2025

This week’s edition of our Worker Wellness & Well-being blog looks at why Mexican drug cartels are now labeled as Terrorist organizations—to how cuts in Washington DC are hurting Vets and farmers—to how drones are being used to deliver medical “supplies” in emergency situations. This week I would like to take this opportunity to discuss the need to address Mental Health in our schools.

The 1^st article that caught my eye this week involves a counseling program for students in the University of Missouri’s veterinary program.¹ The author of the aforementioned article indicates that several veterinarian and medical school programs have experimented with embedding counseling services in their doctoral programs but not much data exist to suggest that doing this—known as an intervention—has a positive impact. Enter MU researchers…who designed a study that looked at over 400 vet students from 2016-24. Their findings suggest that “veterinary trainees who took advantage of embedded counseling services reported improvements in psychological distress…” (e.g., depression, anxiety, academic distress, eating concerns and substance use). In addition, they noted that “embedded counseling programs may enable veterinary students to manage their personal and academic challenges” (i.e., financial stress, chronic health issues and traumatic experiences).

Which leads me to the 2^nd article that examines the need for ~100k Mental Health professionals in our nation’s K-12 schools…possibly a result of the COVID pandemic.² When it comes to counselors, psychologists, social workers, and therapists, one expert interviewed posits “while demand is going up, supply is going down.” This author notes that one principal had an opening for a school psychologist posted for 1 year without a response. This led him to becoming creative. Wherein, he recruited a nearly-completed social worker student under an emergency license provision. With most traditional MH pathways requiring at least 6 years of schooling, more options must be examined. The recommended ratio for MH professional to students is 1:250. While some schools meet this criterion, most do not! As a matter of fact, the national average is 1:1157. To be sure, caution must be taken when approaching this dilemma. 1) MH issues cannot be left to ill-properly trained people. 2) Task-shifting may result in lessening the attractiveness of these professions…not to mention the salaries involved.

These matters impact all of us! How is your industry, company, organization, etc. addressing the MH needs of your workers? After all, some of those K-12 students in systems with 1:600 ratios eventually become your employees.

Sources: [1] https://showme.missouri.edu/2025/do-embedded-counseling-services-in-veterinary-education-work-a-new-study-says-yes/

[2] https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2023/08/31/mental-health-crisis-students-have-third-therapists-they-need/

Creating a supportive work environment

Schools & MH Staff Shortages

Myths about Weed

On Treating Fentanyl: Bupe

An “ice rink” to fight opioids crisis?

Mexican Cartels labeled as Terrorists

China / Mexico / Money Laundering

Divorce / China / Abuse

Microplastics & Your Brain

Narcissists & Social Pain

Veterinary Programs & Counseling

Recognizing & Treating PTSD

Plan Your Day Around Shifting Moods

Fatigue & Grieving

Sleep: Women vs Men

Travel & Assisted Dying

The Favorite Child

Doctors / MH / Licensing

Romans / Lead Coins / Lower IQ

Football tied to Another CTE Victim

NHL / Bobby Hull / CTE

Women in Construction

AL: The deadliest workplace in America

USA: Moving towards Autocracy

US-AID cuts impact US Farmers

Vets: Cuts hamper VA

Is US Govt’s word Good?

H2-B Visas: Wage vs Worker Shortage

Is GOP warming to Unions?

GOP: Pro-Union or Pro-Worker?

Pick to head US-DOL…a turncoat?

Labor Secretary Nominee & PRO Act…

Keeling nominated to head OSHA

NLRB retracts Biden-era enforcements

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Wellness & Well-being Highlights February 17th

Wellness & Well-being Highlights

for the

Week of Feb 17, 2025

This week’s edition of our Worker Wellness & Well-being blog looks at how a doctor in Africa created a Peer Support model to address Mental Health issues—to a series of articles exploring the dangers of gambling…more specifically, sports betting—to how cuts in Washington, DC may negatively impact research…more specifically, cancer research. This week I would like to take this opportunity to touch on Missouri Senate Bill 74.¹

While SB 74 mainly would bar cities and counties from imposing their own open carry restrictions, in my opinion, any attempt to lessen gun restrictions poses danger for those in crisis. Consider this: Over the past 20 years, Missouri has seen a ~60% increase in suicide deaths.² This rate was greater than that of the US during this timeframe. Since gun-related suicides have made up over 50% of those deaths, we should take any and all precautions to keep our citizens safe from self-harm. As a matter of fact, “…in 2020, gun-related suicides surpassed poisoning and suffocation for the first time among women, and have continued to rise since then.”³ One way to move these numbers in the opposite direction is to limit the access to firearms. Awareness and education do NOT seem to be enough!

To this end, St. Louis University will be holding a seminar on this very topic on Friday (Feb 21).⁴To be clear, this event does NOT solely focus on restricting access to firearms. Based on the CALM (Conversations on the Access to Lethal Means) training model, this SAFER training session will address how you and I can take actions to reduce the access to a multitude of lethal means…including but not limited to medications, sharp objects, bridge netting, etc. Come join us in becoming part of the solution vs remaining part of the problem!

Sources: [1]https://www.stlpr.org/government-politics-issues/2025-02-11/missouri-senators-consider-removing-several-firearm-restrictions

[2] https://usafacts.org/answers/how-many-people-die-by-suicide/state/missouri/

[3]https://www.nytimes.com/2024/09/26/well/mind/suicide-guns-women.html

[4]https://billpay.slu.edu/C20197_ustores/web/product_detail.jsp?PRODUCTID=2471

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