Works Initiative News | Worker Wellness & Career Opportunities

Alina’s Story: Missouri Works Initiative

Before joining Missouri Works Initiative, Alina’s life felt scattered. She had once worked as an executive chef at a country club, but in 2024 she was let go, and the loss shook her confidence.

“My life was all over the place,” Alina said. “I was in between a lot of jobs trying to find myself because I had lost who I was and I felt like I was worthless. It was a very hard time for me to start all over.”

She picked up work in other kitchens, but it never felt the same starting from the bottom again. She even tried an office job, but quickly realized that sitting at a desk wasn’t for her. “I like to work with my hands and move,” she explained.

Alina first discovered Missouri Works Initiative through Facebook. Wanting a new path that would be both steady and rewarding, she reached out and connected with Russ from the MWI team. That decision turned out to be life-changing.

She enrolled in the Apprenticeship Ready Program, where she especially enjoyed the hands-on experiences and opportunities to learn about the different trades. “It was fun,” she said. “I really liked the field trips and getting to learn about all the different trades.”

During her time in the program, Alina learned practical skills like drywall and framing—skills she now uses on the job every day. Today, she’s proud to be working with TJ Wies, doing framing and drywall at the Mizzou Stadium. Her chosen trade is carpentry with Carpenters Mid-America, and she is excited to be building a future she feels connected to.

For Alina, Missouri Works Initiative provided not only skills but also confidence. “It’s a great program for people that are on the fence about joining a new career,” she said. “It shows you all the ins and outs, the information you need to know about all the trades.”

She credits Russ for helping her take the leap and guiding her through the program. “Definitely Russ,” she said when asked who she wanted to thank.

Alina’s story is proof that even when life feels like it’s starting over, there’s always a path forward, and sometimes, it begins with simply taking that first step.

Start your journey here.

October 22, 2025/by Missouri Works Initiative

Worker Wellness News

Wellness & Well-being Highlights October 20th

Wellness & Well-being Highlights

for the

Week of October 20, 2025

This week’s edition of our Worker Wellness & Well-being blog provides us look at the latest warnings regarding alcohol and dementia—to how the human mind functions past midnight—to how cuts in DC are negatively impacting vulnerable populations (i.e., special needs students, Women Vets, etc.).

This week I would like to share with you a highlight from the national LOSS conference I attended in Omaha, NE this past Mon thru Wed. This conference was held for suicide loss survivors. It focused on what I refer to as the 3^rd leg of the suicide triangle: Suicide Postvention (the other 2 legs being Prevention and Intervention). The keynote speaker was Dr Frank Campbell. I consider him a friend and mentor. He is one of the foremost researchers in the field of suicide postvention. How/Why? Frank lost a childhood friend to suicide when he was 12 yo. Like many of us who have lost a loved one to suicide, in the aftermath, he felt there was a dearth of resources and support during his grieving process. It was via his service and research that he discovered it took ~4.5 years for loss survivors to reach out for assistance. Meanwhile, during this time many survivors are left behind to suffer in silence. In 1997, he developed an active postvention model and coined the term LOSS: Local Outreach for Suicide Survivors. In Baton Rouge, he launched the first LOSS Team in 1998.[1] Since then, research reveals that a program like LOSS can bring the time a survivor reaches out for help down to <2 months. In my opinion, this is key when it comes to preventing additional suicides due to generational impact on families and friends. Thus, the saying: Postvention is Prevention.

As I have noted in the past, Postvention does not receive the funding and/or attention that Prevention or Intervention have garnered on the international and national stages. Despite that, we cannot and will not impact the rise of suicides in this country unless and until we connect the 3 legs of the Suicide Triangle. To do so would mean making an effort to, at the very least, consider how to establish a LOSS Team in Missouri. Just 2 months ago, our construction industry experienced at least 2 suicide deaths that I know of. In both cases, I received calls asking “What to do next?” We need to step back and plan for these incidents so that when the next one happens we are not scrambling for resources in the midst of a full-blown crisis! In the famous words of Hillel, “If not now, when?”

Please check out the rest of this week’s blog: https://moworksinitiative.org/category/worker-wellness-news/

Source [1] https://www.lossteam.com/founder-dr-frank-campbell

US Mental Health Map: Best vs Worst

Counselor’s OUD Recovery Story

Risks: AI for MH

Cannabis Addiction?

Why are Youth Unhappy?

Dementia: No Amount of Alcohol

India: Kids & Cough Syrup

Rise of Autism?

Update: More Gun Violence

Human Mind Past Midnight

MH & LBGTQ+

Workplace Wellness & Flexibility

Flexibility & Longevity

Roll Your Shoulders

Update: Microplastics

NFL / Concussion / Fine

IAM / Boeing / ULP

VW / UAW / Final Offer

AFL-CIO vs AI

Paralyzed NLRB: CA Takes action

CDC’s Union Blasts HHS Layoffs

CDC: DC’s Yo-Yo

Greece’s Labor Protest

Trump / Unions / Media Surveillance

Media Rejecting Pentagon’s Rules

Update: No Kings

VA Cuts Damage Women Vets

Shutdown Targets Vulnerable Populations

DC Cuts Impact Special Ed

Construction: Dismantling DEI

UK Construction Worker Health Claims Up

Walmart: Workers’ Pay

Gen Z / Finances / Fear

Canadian Employees Refuse US Travel

Women / Pay Cuts / RTO

PA: Rise of Skilled Trades

End of College; Rise of Skills

Free Knowledge vs College

One College’s Response: Homeless Students

Job Search in Tough Times

Job Hugging

Medical Costs: 80% in US Unprepared

Unretirement

Upcoming webinars, etc.:

Rural MH Solutions (10/21)

SUD & MH Resilience Strategies (10/22)

2025 Gun Policy Survey (11/11)

Suicide Postvention for MH Pros

Truman’s Peacemaker

Caring Contacts for Suicide Prevention

Caring Letters: Kevin Hines

MHA: 2025 State of MH

Apply: BIA-MO Student Scholarships

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.

October 20, 2025/by Missouri Works Initiative

Worker Wellness News

Wellness & Well-being Highlights October 13th

Wellness & Well-being Highlights

for the

Week of October 13, 2025

This week’s edition of our Worker Wellness & Well-being blog provides us look at how drug overdose deaths in Missouri have declined over the past 2 years—to the impact of PTSD (then, often, referred to as ‘shell shock’) on our servicepeople who returned from WWII—to how recent actions by US-DOT is rolling back Construction’s DEI efforts.

This week I would like to take a closer look at 2 recently released studies on youth, sports, and brain damage. The first study (Nature) looked at mostly amateur American football players under 50 yo. It noted that while not all subjects had signs of CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy) most had signs of brain cell damage. The author went on to say:

What’s more, while some of the athletes had a history of a traumatic brain injury, or T.B.I., some did not. Instead, the scientists think the changes in their brains were largely caused by multiple small hits to the head.[1]

In essence, when players run into each other upwards of 100 times per game, the results can be debilitating!

The second study (Neurology), via MRI brain scans, observed >300 amateur soccer players in their twenties. These researchers focused on where gray matter intersects with white matter (an area vulnerable to head impacts). To this end, “the more frequently a player headed the ball, the more damage they had, and the worse they performed on cognitive tests.”[1]

In both studies, the greatest damage occurred in the frontal cortex, a region important for planning, working memory and decision making.[1] These 2 studies lay the groundwork for developing tests that one day may identify possible early warning signs of CTE. Two important notes:

That this research represents a small pool of players; and
“All of the football players died young, many by suicide or from accidents or illnesses, and their brains were donated for research.”[1]

So, why does this matter? 1) Mainly, because some of us have children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews, etc. playing collision sports. 2) In last week’s blog, I included an article called Safety Helmets Saves Lives.[2] As I have written in the past, traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) accounted for 25% of all construction worker deaths in the U.S. between 2003 and 2010. This made TBIs the third most common cause of death in the construction industry during that period. Our industry needs to shift from hard hats to safety helmets if we truly cherish our workers!

Please check out the rest of this week’s blog: https://moworksinitiative.org/category/worker-wellness-news/

Sources [1] https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/17/well/mind/brain-damage-sports.html?searchResultPosition=8

[2] https://news.vt.edu/articles/2025/09/Research-helmet-lab-construction-safety-helmet-ratings.html

Construction: Addressing Mental Health Stigma

Decline of OD Deaths in MO

HEAT: Workplace Injuries Increase

STL’s Open-air Drug Market

Youth & Cannabis

Employers / Employees / Food Insecurity

Rankings: Worker Well-being

Rape Survivor Care Advocate

The Wounded Generation

Vaccine Court

You & Your Phone

Preventing Dementia

Motivation & Exercise

Happiness: Going It Alone?

PBS: Born Poor

Coping w/ Invisible Illness

Multiple Minor Hits Damaging Youth’s Brains

Minds Matter: Concussion Care

Mizzou / Unions / Protection

Broadway Musicians Strike

KP & 23 Unions

Harvard Undergrads / Union / First Contract

VT: Dairy Workers Strike

Rise of White-Collar Unions

New Head of OSHA?

Shutdown: Who to blame?

Trump / ATC / Shutdown

Fed Workers & Back Pay

RFK Jr / Surgeons General / America’s Health

Are You a Hypocrite?

Cost of Employee Burnout

Technostress

Tracking Employee MH Efficacy

Gen Z: Redesigning the Workplace

Construction: DEI Efforts

Construction: DOT Guts DEI

Construction Recruiting: Leader v Laborer

Bad Bunny / NFL / MAGA

Mistrusting AI

Delaying SS Benefits?

Upcoming webinars, etc.:

CONVERSATIONS: Suicide Postvention (10/17)

TRAINING: Caring Communities – Suicide Postvention (10/17)

Suicide Risks & AI (10/17)

Transforming SUD Treatment (10/30)

Brain Injury Seminar (11/8)

Supervisor’s Guide to Workplace Suicide Postvention

The Healing Power of Pets

Hard Hats & Heavy Burdens

FREE Diapers

FREE Meals

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.

October 13, 2025/by Missouri Works Initiative

Missouri Apprentice Ready Program, News, Success Stories

Trent’s Story: Missouri Works Initiative

Before connecting with Missouri Works Initiative, 27-year-old Trent Krantz was working full-time but knew something wasn’t right.

“I had no path forward in that career,” Trent said. “Healthcare was minimal or not offered at all, my wages couldn’t support my growing family, and it felt like I needed to make a change for the sake of my own and my family’s future.”

That change came by chance. One day, while searching online for career opportunities, Trent stumbled across Missouri Works Initiative.

“I found MWI seemingly by accident, just by searching the internet for anything to point me in the right direction towards a more fulfilling career. It seemed like a perfect fit at the perfect time.”

He hadn’t spoken to anyone at MWI before applying. Instead, he read through the website and articles to learn as much as he could. When his interview came around, Trent was eager to ask questions and left impressed by the people behind the program. “All of my questions were answered, and then some, by the awesome crew there at MWI.”

Trent said one of the things he valued most about the program was the sense of community. “It felt like I was in community with everyone there, all the time. I left every conversation with something to think about, and I was encouraged to bring something to the table myself every day. Great things can be done when we’re all working towards the same thing.”

Along with encouragement, Trent gained both technical and life skills. He learned how to apply math and problem-solving to real world challenges, read blueprints, and use the tools of the trade to get the job done. Just as important, he learned to advocate for himself.

“A big thing they stressed at MWI is that you have to advocate for yourself. If you have questions, ask them. If you need help, ask for it. People are willing to help you and the trade doesn’t move forward without that passing of knowledge. As soon as I understood that, it felt like a huge piece of the puzzle slid into place. Most importantly, as cliché as it sounds, don’t underestimate how important it is to listen, and show up.”

Today, Trent is proud to be working at Dema Engineering as a CNC machinist, represented by Machinists District 9. “I feel like I finally have a clear vision of where I want to put my time, energy and passion. To have a career that I genuinely enjoy and have a passion for feels great. Most importantly, I’m confident in my ability to support my family.”

Trent is quick to credit the people at MWI who helped him get here. “Everyone who makes the wheels turn and keeps the operation going are amazing. I had an amazing time with Maggie, Mike and Jim of the manufacturing program. Everything they do is in service to their students and I could always tell they were truly passionate about what they do.”

And when asked for one last piece of advice, his answer was simple. “Join a Union.”

If you’re ready for a change like Trent, Missouri Works Initiative can help you find your path forward.

Start your journey here.

October 10, 2025/by Missouri Works Initiative

Worker Wellness News

Wellness & Well-being Highlights October 6th

Wellness & Well-being Highlights

for the

Week of October 6, 2025

This week’s edition of our Worker Wellness & Well-being blog provides us look at how AI is being utilized to detect breast cancer—to the impact of heat on a worker’s internal organs—to a new study that confirms the attributes of safety helmets. This week I would like to take a closer look at voluntary vs forced Mental Health care.

It is no secret that the US lacks the infrastructure to handle each and every MH crisis. Readers of this blog know my sentiments on the positive impact that peer supporters can have on assisting filling this gap as para-professionals (not as counselors or therapists but as resource navigators… Think: Traffic Cops). In fact, studies have shown that <25% of the people with Substance Use Disorder (SUD) receive care.[1]

Sadly, DC has once again plowed ahead with programs (i.e., involuntary interventions like forced medications and hospitalizations) based on emotions vs facts. To this end…

In July, the federal government issued the executive order “Ending Crime and Disorder on America’s Streets.” The order specifically targets people experiencing homelessness and serious mental illness. This policy shift intensifies debates over how to balance public safety, individual rights and effective, evidence-based care.[1]

Meanwhile, results from a Q1-2025 survey indicate the following:

Nearly three-quarters of respondents (73%) supported expanding access to community-based services, with similar levels across party lines: 78% among Democrats, 72% among Republicans and 71% among Independents. Similarly, most respondents across party lines supported expanding peer-led services.

In contrast, support dropped for policies that would allow treatment to be forced on someone against their will. Just 40% favored forced psychiatric medication, 45% supported short-term involuntary hospitalization and 42% supported long-term hospitalization. Mandated substance-use treatment drew slightly more support, at 53%.[1]

The lead author, Morgan Shields, suggests that, when it comes to population health, community-based services can improve access to care and tend to be more effective when compared to the high cost of institutionalizing people—many against their will!

Please check out the rest of this week’s blog: https://moworksinitiative.org/category/worker-wellness-news/

Source: [1] https://source.washu.edu/2025/09/americans-favor-voluntary-mental-health-care-amid-federal-push-for-forced-treatment/?utm_source=MarketingCloud&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=FY26_October_%40WashU&contactid=003PH000007TZxbYAG&utm_content=https%3a%2f%2fsource.washu.edu%2f2025%2f09%2famericans-favor-voluntary-mental-health-care-amid-federal-push-for-forced-treatment%2f

Run for Mental Health

A Dad’s Love and Suicide

AI & Breast Cancer

Big Pharma / Opioid Settlement / Victims

OUD: Post-pandemic Jump

Rise in Fentanyl: Job Drug Screens

Heat’s Internal Impact

Voluntary vs Forced MH Care

Partner Spotlight: Tim Clavin

Building pathways and partnerships for a stronger workforce.
Tim Clavin, Director of Financial Wellness at St. Louis Community Credit Union (SLCCU), shares his not-for-profit employer’s mission of “raising the communities we serve.” For Tim, investing in communities means investing in people. In his role, he works directly with individuals to provide the financial tools, resources, and knowledge they need to achieve stability and long-term success.

With nine years at SLCCU, Tim has seen firsthand the challenges that millions of hardworking Americans face every day. Flat wages, rising costs, limited training opportunities, and what he calls “bureaucracy that keeps the underserved down without the ability to raise their earning power” make it difficult for many to build a solid financial foundation. Through financial coaching and mentoring, Tim uses his expertise to help people overcome these barriers and gain a path forward.

For the past three years, Tim and SLCCU have partnered with Missouri Works Initiative to extend that mission to program participants. As students prepare to begin new careers in the trades, Tim provides financial wellness sessions, presentations, and access to services that many would not otherwise know about. His guidance helps ensure participants are not only job-ready but also financially prepared to succeed outside of the classroom and on the job.

“Missouri Works Initiative is doing a good job,” Tim said. “Just like us, trying to be better every day.”

Missouri Works Initiative is proud to partner with organizations like St. Louis Community Credit Union and people like Tim Clavin, who share our commitment to changing lives. Together, we provide the resources and education needed to support Missouri’s skilled workforce both personally and professionally.

If you want to be part of this mission and invest in Missouri’s future workforce, we’d love to partner with you. Contact Megan Price at mprice@moworks.org.

October 5, 2025/by Missouri Works Initiative

In the News, News

“Success in the Making” Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater St. Louis’ Internship Program

Big shoutout to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater St. Louis! We’re proud to team up on the St. Louis Internship Program, where teens get hands-on experience in construction and manufacturing. They are learning real skills that can lead to solid careers.

These inspiring students are rolling up their sleeves, trying new things, and proving that the future of our workforce is in good hands. We couldn’t be more excited to be part of their journey.

Click here to read their story!

October 3, 2025/by Missouri Works Initiative

Worker Wellness News

Wellness & Well-being Highlights September 29th

Wellness & Well-being Highlights

for the

Week of September 29, 2025

This week’s edition of our Worker Wellness & Well-being blog provides us a peep into the recent gathering of union tradeswomen in Chicago—to how DC is hiding data and has canceled the ‘hunger’ survey—to how a local high school teacher teaches Gen Z students about capitalism. This week I would like to take a closer look at the importance of relationships.

Kinsey explains that building trust and growing teams are more important than pedigrees and/or grand gestures. Why? Because “…it’s the small, thoughtful actions that people remember.”[1] Her advice to young professionals is straightforward: “Start with saying what you’ll do, then do it every time.”[1]

This brings me to a podcast I listened to just this weekend. It is titled “Lean on me brother & sister.…’[2] The focus is on the “work” of James Pursell and Aaron Walsh. I call them my LEAN Boys. If you have not already heard, the Laborers Health & Welfare Trust Fund for Locals 42 and 110 in St. Louis started a peer support program for their members and their families, nearly 3 years ago. The LEAN-STL program is modeled after the LEAN program that originated in Boston. LEAN in STL stands for Laborers Escaping Adversity Now. When compared to the Boston program, the STL version is more robust. While Boston addresses Opioid Use Disorder (OUD), LEAN-STL casts a wider net that includes Mental Health, Opioid/Substance Use Disorders, and Suicide Prevention / Intervention / Postvention. LiUNA’s Health & Safety Department is now working with their locals across the USA and Canada to implement various versions of the LEAN model.

As September (National Suicide Prevention Awareness month) comes to a close, it may be time to take an inventory of how prepared your workplace is when it comes to the mental aspects of safety. If feel your organization would like to learn more about how programs like LEAN-STL work, please join us at the next STL Building Trades Wellness Coalition meeting on:

Thursday – Oct 23, 2025

9:00a CT

IBEW Local 1 Hall

(For more info email: stlbtwellnesscoalition@gmail.com)

In the meantime, I highly encourage you to PLEASE take the time to listen to the aforementioned (folksy) podcast.[2] And, I think you will agree…My 2 heroes don’t wear capes!

Please check out the rest of this week’s blog: https://moworksinitiative.org/category/worker-wellness-news/

Sources: [1] https://www.constructiondive.com/news/why-relationships-matter-construction/760674/?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Issue:%202025-09-22%20Construction%20Dive%20Newsletter%20%5Bissue:77063%5D&utm_term=Construction%20Dive

[2] https://www.buzzsprout.com/2290048/episodes/17911413-lean-on-me-brother-sister-for-a-good-life-with-the-help-of-aaron-from-laborers-local-42-and-james-from-110

Timely Jewish Holiday Message

Women / MH / Gaps

Underestimating Chronic Illness

AI & Burnout

BackStoppers & Injured First Responders

Slowing Huntington’s

WHO: Trump / Tylenol / Autism

Science / Tylenol / Autism

Trump / Public Health / You

What is Your Teenage Boy Doing Online?

Author / Addiction / Women

Gambling Addiction in Construction

Tradeswomen & Delaying Childbirth

Postpartum Depression

Race to a GLP-1 Pill

Trump on NFL’s Sissy Kickoffs

NFL & CTE…An Ongoing Issue

Unionized Tradeswomen Gathering

S Fain on Union Growth

Update: STL-KC Carpenters / Judge / Deposition

Canada Post Strike

Disney & Studio Lot Nurses

Trump / DC / Death Penalty

Trump / Homeless / Institutions

Trump / Reality / Hiding Data

Trump Cancels Annual Hunger Survey

ME / Prisoners / Remote Work

Handling a Worsening Job Market

Monthly Bills & Inflation

Is the Middle Class Slipping Away?

Women’s Construction Magazine

Teaching Gen Z Capitalism

Relationships vs Titles/Degrees

Loving Ghost

Upcoming webinars, etc.:

Healing Power of Pets (9/30)

Vets / Meditation / Memory Loss (10/17)

Living w/ Brain Injury (11/8)

Suicide Prevention thru Postvention

Schools & Suicide Postvention Support

LOSS: Suicide Postvention

LEAN-STL: Taking Care of Our Own

Youth Peer Support 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.

September 29, 2025/by Dr. John Gaal

Worker Wellness News

Wellness & Well-being Highlights September 22nd

Wellness & Well-being Highlights

for the

Week of September 22, 2025

This week’s edition of our Worker Wellness & Well-being blog looks at how Bechtel’s $7m commitment to AFSP is developing products/programs to address Mental Health in the Construction Industry—to how Cocaine is having a resurgence in the USA…thanks to Mexico—to how Americans may be losing aspects of healthcare over the next decade. This week I would like to take a closer look at the importance of diversity programs in the construction industry.

Since earlier this year, DC has made their disdain for DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) programs clear. However, we need to move from feelings to facts. I have been in the Construction Industry since the late 1970s. It seems from the mid-1980s on, there has been a constant drum beat that this industry lacks the number of workers it needs to sustain America’s growth while providing living wage middle income jobs with benefits. And, with recent ICE raids this matter has only become more dire for our customers, contractors, Building Trades unions, and communities.

To this end, a recent report by Dr Robert Bruno, Director of Labor Education at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, indicated that IL based pre-apprenticeship training programs, known as the Highway Construction Careers Training Program (HCCTP) and Illinois Works Pre-Apprenticeship Program (IWPP), are indeed critical pathways for women and minorities into the skilled trades. The facts are clear:

*HCCTP enrolled 2500, graduated 1900, and placed 1000 in related positions (2017-23);

*IWPP enrolled 3300, graduated 1600, and placed 1100 in related positions (2022-24);

*Both of these programs accounted for ~5% of all new Illinois construction apprentices and a much larger share of Black (35%) and women (21%) apprentices statewide.[1]

Why this matters? According to BLS Data, in 2024, about 6.5% of US construction workers were Black, and about 11.2% of all U.S. construction workers were women.[1] Make no mistake, programs—like the 2 mentioned above plus MWI’s ARC program (formerly BUD in STL)—can and do address our industry’s workforce shortage needs while improving the lives around us. In this time of deep nationwide political discourse, is it not time to move away from hate and towards help?

As we hit the midway point of September, let’s not forget to check out the variety of Suicide Prevention Awareness programs available in your local area. If you have not heard, NAMI just launched a new MH initiative focused on the Construction Industry with Toolbox Talks, etc. It’s worth a look![2]

Please check out the rest of this week’s blog: https://moworksinitiative.org/category/worker-wellness-news/

Sources: [1] https://share.google/9gVJBKfZfMfwhWxzP

[2] https://stigmafree.nami.org/guides/industrial-trades-toolbox-talks-for-mental-health/

Hard Hat Courage

Construction MH: Be a Helper

Suicide & Bridge Barriers

MS Suicide on Campus

Arsenal: Together Against Suicide

Training Media on Suicide

Walking for MH

RFK & MH in Schools

Can the VA be Opioid-free?

Mexico & America’s Love for Cocaine

Chinese Exec / Fentanyl / Jailed

LA: Fatal Kratom

PST Impacts Anyone

Construction / AI / Safety

Under-reporting Rail Safety

Canada: Employees Reporting MH?

Loneliness in the Workplace

Stigma & Derailing Careers

Wildfire Smoke & Your Health

Fall Time Change & Your Health

How Mindfulness Matters

Silica / Floors / Danger

Pregnancy & Cannabis

Elderly & Cannabis

New RA (Arthritis) Treatment

Flies & MH

Is Telehealth Good?

Losing Your Health Insurance

US Organ Transplants & Greed

Small Gestures = Big Traits?

Educators & Google’s Cheat Button

Toxic Fumes / Airplanes / Concussions

CTE in Police Officer

PA Nurses Set Strike

CA Nurses Set Strike

LIRR Strike Potential

NM Diary Strike Ends

OH/KY UAW Reach Deal

French Unions Strike

Update: Air Canada Strike

Starbucks’ Script

Free Speech?

Stifling Free Speech?

Punishing Free Speech?

The Cost of Reporting Gun Violence

Canada: Preventing Workplace Harassment

Impact: Clear Communication on Job Security

Re-engaging Employees

Underemployment?

Job Hugging

Rural Hunger Games

LT Unemployment’s Strain

Proving Yourself

Construction: Boosting Diversity

Food Truck Apprenticeship

Dangerous Travel

Upcoming webinars, etc.:

Research Study Opportunity: College Students & MH

Understanding PTSD (9/25)

Suicide Postvention – Caring Communities Training (9/30)

MH in the Workplace (10/9)

Client-focused Care for SUD (10/16)

Narcan training (10/17)

Hard Hat Courage

NAMI: Construction Toolbox Talks

Suicide & Comedy?

Understanding Suicide

Understanding Grief

Suicide & Substance Use

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.

September 22, 2025/by Dr. John Gaal

Worker Wellness News

Wellness & Well-being Highlights September 15th

Wellness & Well-being Highlights

for the

Week of September 15, 2025

This week’s edition of our Worker Wellness & Well-being blog looks at how England and Australia are taking steps to prevent suicides in their Construction Industries—to steps you can take to assist in ‘calming down’ during these trying times—to how chronic pain impacts women differently than men. This week I would like to take a closer look at the importance of peer support.

To say the least, this past week has been exhausting for many of us! From 9/11 Remembrance Ceremonies to the shooting death of a political influencer to the tragic loss of another construction worker to suicide. During these trying times, we need to make an effort to reach out to others for connection. Research suggests that for some of us, the isolation during COVID upended many of our social networks. Now is the time where we can begin to focus on rebuilding those support networks. Thankfully, a few unions have taken steps to build peer support programs in hopes that these systems re-connect us and, thus, play a significant role in our healing process.[1]

It is no secret to any of you who have attended one of my recent presentations that I—more often than not—lead off with what I call my ‘WHY?’ slide. This slide, based on research from CPWR (the research arm of NABTU), clearly and concisely presents 3 facts related to deaths in the US Construction Industry (2022):

1) Work-related (991)

2) Suicides (5200)

3) Drug Overdoses (17,100)

Some experts would suggest that numbers 2 and 3 above can be directly/indirectly linked to the ‘isolation’ mentioned above. I am not simply talking about physical isolation but, more importantly, mental isolation. Too many of us have been brought up in cultures that instilled in us that “asking for help” was a sign of weakness. Sadly, these wrong-headed ‘household’ beliefs/attitudes permeated throughout other aspects of our communities by infiltrating our school systems, sports teams, workplaces, etc.

Please join me in taking a stand: Ask for help! It is a sign of courage that fosters growth & learning; builds trust & relationships; improves productivity; empowers others; and reduces stress.

Please check out the rest of this week’s blog: https://moworksinitiative.org/category/worker-wellness-news/

Source: [1] https://constructforstl.org/gaal-studies-peer-support-mental-health/

Peer Support in Construction

Suicide Prevention / Parternships / Vulnerability

UK: Construction’s Silent Crisis

Australia: Suicide & Supporting Construction Workers

Suicide Prevention / Veterans / Needs Improvement

Beyond the Opioid Crisis: Emerging Threats

Frankenstein Drug: 100x > Fentanyl

Mental Health Openness: 20% Employers

Calming Steps

Surviving 9/11…Healing Others