Works Initiative News | Worker Wellness & Career Opportunities

Wellness & Well-being Highlights December 1st

Wellness & Well-being Highlights

for the

Week of December 1, 2025

This week’s edition of our Worker Wellness & Well-being blog provides us a look at how fishing may be good for one’s Mental Health—to the negative link between your cell phone and your memory—to how another young athlete died from a game-related head injury.

This week I would like to discuss the importance of making adjustments to address a growing need across all US communities: Child Care. Many years ago, I wrote a master’s degree thesis that focused on the importance of bringing more diversity into the construction industry. Several barriers were identified back then, including but not limited to the following:

1) Transportation

2) Drug Testing

3) Math Scores

4) Child Care

In 2013, the BUD (Building Union Diversity) program began to take shape. Since then, it has expanded beyond the STL region into KC, Springfield, and the mid-Missouri area. While the program is now called Apprentice Ready Construction (ARC), more than 1 year ago MWI added manufacturing to its offerings and will soon expand into the healthcare sector. The point is that changes were made to suit the ongoing needs of society. To me, programs like BUD are great examples of how labor and management can jointly resolve vexing workforce development challenges and transition those lessons learned for the benefit of others well beyond the original intent.

In my opinion, within the confines of industry-specific programs like BUD, a lot of work has been done over the past decade+ to address the 4 barriers mentioned above. However, not enough is being done with respect to scaling up these accomplishments across all sectors and states! That is why I wish to highlight the universal child care program that New Mexico is undertaking. After all, depending on your source, child care can cost a family upwards of 20% of their income or around $2000/month. Torry and Frosch explain[1]

The program aims to get more people into the workforce and improve child development. The state, which has long struggled with high levels of poverty and poor educational rankings, also wants to attract and keep families with young children.

Not much gets done in today’s business world without money. To this end, it appears that NM has taken the first step in forging structural change with the potential of long term returns.

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

Source: [1] https://www.wsj.com/us-news/in-a-u-s-first-new-mexico-opens-doors-to-free-child-care-for-all-2dfdea96?st=nkrpSj&reflink=article_gmail_share

Where Deaths Exceed Births

Wellness & Well-being Highlights November 24th

Wellness & Well-being Highlights

for the

Week of November 24, 2025

This week’s edition of our Worker Wellness & Well-being blog provides us a look at a brutal onsite death of a woman construction worker—to how athletes attend to their mental health—to how a lawyer’s passion influences High School students’ futures.

This week I would like to discuss the importance of self-care during the upcoming holidays. In order to be there for others, one must FIRST attend to her/his own needs! It is no secret that family gatherings can be more stressful than joyful at times. For some, mental health challenges will ebb and flow for the next month more so vs other times during the year. Now is the time to develop a strategy to prepare for these potential stressors. What can you do now? Breathe![1] Simply put, learning proper breathing techniques can move you out of the fight or flight part of your brain and into the problem-solving portion of your brain…in essence, allowing a reset. As the old saying goes. You cannot pour from an empty cup! Here’s some clear and concise advice from Arthur Ashe:

“Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.”

In addition, I urge you to PLEASE take a few minutes now to review the array of assistance available in the recently released STL Building Trades Wellness Coalition’s Resource link provided below.[2] In other words, be intentionally proactive so that when a need arises, you are prepared with an array of options. To this end, one can access help from obtaining food or diapers to mental health services to assistance with utilities and so on. Please share this information as you see fit. And, remember that 988 is available 24/7/365. Use it BEFORE the issues you are faced with become a crisis.

I wish you and yours a Safe and Happy Thanksgiving!

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

Sources: [1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tEmt1Znux58&t=14s

[2] https://constructforstl.org/stl-building-trades-wellness-coalition-holiday-resource-guide/

Workplace Violence / Construction Worker / Death

Chicago Fights for DEI

Thanksgiving & Loss

Workers / Holidays / MH

Purdue’s Opioids Settlement

Athletes & MH

Prop Bets = Scandals

ADHD Meds & Kids

Addiction & Weight Loss Drug

Phones / Computers / Aging Brains

Cross-Stitch Benefits

Shifting the HC Narrative

Milan: Hockey Neck Guards

Animals & Tools

Parents / Concussions / Brain Health

Starbucks Strike Escalates

UFW & Trump

UMW & Trump

US-DOL / Cuts / Impact

Tariffs / Trump / Prices

MO / Legal Immigrants / Food Assistance

MTG & Trump

MTG Fallout

M Kelly / J Epstein / Teens

Trump & Media: Fear or Favor?

Political Scandals

Dismantling US-ED?

Cuts / Science / Regression

Promoting False Vax?

Mexico / Trump / Military

Tracking Down a Narco-Kingpin

Civics Lesson

Law / High School / Passion

Do Degrees Still Matter?

Growth of Apprenticeships

UK: Low Wages & Happy Workers

Baby Boomer Wealth

Layoff Blunders

Upcoming webinars, etc.:

Lethal Means Safety: Vets (12/4)

Crisis Response Planning: Vets (12/10)

Cannabis Use Disorder (12/12)

Antagonist (12/13)

Hard Hat Courage Resources

SUD & Employers

MH Screening

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.

November 24, 2025/by Dr. John Gaal

Worker Wellness News

Wellness & Well-being Highlights November 17th

Wellness & Well-being Highlights

for the

Week of November 17, 2025

This week’s edition of our Worker Wellness & Well-being blog provides us a look at the impact of a Military Vet’s incarceration—to how teens stepped in to fill the Mental Health needs of peers after DC’s cuts—to the concept of food as medicine.

This week I would like to discuss the impact of PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) on our Vets. I approach this topic initially from a historical perspective via the first article. Wherein, Stahl takes a closer look at the ‘invisible’ scars left by WWII.[1] This made me reflect…as I recalled speaking to a 72 yo friend of mine a few years ago. He told me how it only recently dawned on him why the father of the family next door was so ‘tough’ on his kids. Why? Mostly because due to the returning service members from Vietnam, it was not until 1980 that PTSD was recognized as a diagnosis. Many of us—who had family members that served in WWII—may recall the term shell-shocked.

From a contemporary standpoint, women service members are quickly growing in numbers. However, being the minority, they are often overlooked or misunderstood. Due to gender-related discrimination, women are sometimes excluded from a variety of military roles which can negatively impact their sense of belonging and result in mental health challenges.[2] Furthermore, nearly 40% of women Vets (vs <4% for men) have experienced MST (Military Sexual Trauma). In a system where reporting seems futile, these survivors often feel a sense of institutional betrayal.

To me, as a +40-year construction professional, the latter story sounds all too familiar. In fact, this past Friday, I attended a funeral of a former pre-apprentice. A female trades-worker who was killed in an act of domestic violence. With 1 in 4 women being subjected to domestic violence, we must seek solutions to protect and prevent our mothers, sisters, and children from harm.[3] EACH one of us has a duty to become active bystanders who are willing to step in to assist those in need. I strongly urge labor and management training trustees to explore a couple of programs that come to mind:

Mentorship Matters: improves safety and relationships on the job https://mentorshipmatters.com

RISE Up: promotes a respectful work environment via the ‘bystander intervention’ model

https://riseup4equity.org/

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

Sources: [1] https://www.cbsnews.com/amp/news/the-wounded-generation-bearing-the-invisible-scars-of-war/

[2] https://www.psychiatrictimes.com/view/invisible-ranks-the-untold-battle-for-women-veterans-mental-health/?ekey=RUtJRDo0ODgyNTJFMC0yNkNBLTQzMEUtQkQxQS1DNTNEODcxREU3NDQ%3D&utm_campaign=emailname&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz–RC9307VPXswM6V7yJVzP_gSTXPbiMvfFKdGnhzxLPLtqfjsDUQ_Q-sgDm0SSuqtSGLK5ltzTIqFLZcmwfR1LDjJ8l2Q&_hsmi=389602364&utm_source=hs

[3] https://lydiashouse.org/

Women Vets / MH / Domestic Violence

WWII / PTSD / Invisible Wounds

Vets & ‘Fraudsters’

Vet: Life After War

Teens / MH / Stepping Up

NY & Assisted Suicide

CIA & Afghan’s Opium

Business Safety for Colder Months

Fruits & Veggies as Medicine

Syncing Your Body’s Clock

15-minute Walk & Longevity

Grief & Walking

Dying before 65?

SCOTUS & Gay Marriage

Small Games & Big Bets

IAM & Boeing End Strike

PA Newspaper Strike

UMW on Coal

ATC / Trump / Pay

Trump / Science / Funding

Quieting Dissent

Author’s Advice

Epstein Files?

Labor Shortage vs Jobs Shortage

Impact of Grade Inflation

Denying Visas for Obesity…

Gardening / Slavery / Resilience

SNAP Whiplash

Upcoming webinars, etc.:

Caregiving: Ups & Downs (11/18)

Vets: Talk Saves Lives (11/18)

AGC-MO Safety Forum (11/20)

Your Mind & Money (11/20)

Global Women’s Summit (11/20)

Suicide Loss Survivors Day (11/22)

Cannabis & Ethics (12/5)

Social Media / SUD / MH (12/10)

Antagonist – Premier (12/13)

Suicide Prevention for LQBTQ+

Upstream Suicide Prevention

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.

November 17, 2025/by Dr. John Gaal

Worker Wellness News

Wellness & Well-being Highlights November 10th

Wellness & Well-being Highlights

for the

Week of November 10, 2025

This week’s edition of our Worker Wellness & Well-being blog provides us a look at how the decline in unionized workplaces can be linked to the rise in substance misuse in communities—to the importance of establishing a ‘code’ word for your family—to an uplifting story of a once troubled kid who now plays an instrumental role in helping cultivate Howard U’s next generation of scientists.

This week I would like to discuss the impact of finances on one’s health. The first article recognizes that more employees today are turning to their employers for assistance when it comes to managing their debt. In fact, Harris cites, “… employers are doing a better job at least recognizing that financial wellness is actually really important to retain really good talent or find really good talent.”[1] However, offering help is not enough. Employers need to work with their vendors that provide related assistance (i.e., EAP) in order to track the use of these services in a discrete manner and tweak their offerings to increase effectiveness.

The second article involved a poll of 9k adults. The findings indicate that financial well-being plays a big part regarding older Americans’ quality of life…which, in turn, can affect their physical health, social life and even cognitive skills. To this end, Najmabadi points out,

Low-income seniors are more likely to experience mental confusion, spend less time pursuing hobbies, and face difficulties with everyday tasks such as climbing stairs and grocery shopping, compared with their more affluent counterparts…[which] underscores how differently retirement can play out for people on opposite sides of the income scale, at a time when the youngest baby boomers — those born between 1946 and 1964 — are transitioning out of the workforce.[2[

Meanwhile, the third article addresses the need for spouses/partners to take more active roles in their household’s financial decision-making. Far too often, one partner takes the reigns and due to an unforeseen death, leaves the remaining partner managing finances during a period of profound grief. Dagher proclaims, “The problem disproportionately affects women, who on average live longer than men and might have been expected to leave investing to their partners.”[3] Hint: Take small steps…the first one being: Keep a shared list of their accounts and passwords in a secure place.

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

Sources: [1] https://www.plansponsor.com/financial-wellness-increases-can-improve-physical-mental-health/?utm_medium=email&utm_source=rasa_io&utm_campaign=newsletter

[2] https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2025/11/06/pew-survey-aging-income/

[3] https://www.wsj.com/personal-finance/widow-financial-planning-36ce4608?st=R9jh1K&reflink=article_gmail_share

Declining Union Membership & SUD/OUD

Deadlier than Fentanyl

MO Prisons & Mentally Ill

AI Views: Therapy & Therapists

Broken: AI in Schools

SAD

Dr Grok

Chatbots / Friends / Socialization

Financial Wellness Improves Health

Income / Aging / Health

Spouses / Death / Finances

Reclaiming Your Voice

Your Family’s Code Word

Box Breathing

Fall Self-Care Tips

Sleep Supplements?

Fixing Pickleball Noise?

Sports & MH

Another NFL Suicide?

OH: Teacher Union’s Rally

Update: JBS v UFCW

MO: SMART Strike

MO: Coffee Workers Rally

Starbucks / Workers / Boycott

ATC / Lives / Nation’s Safety

Mid-term Voter Disapproval

DEMS: Woke & Weak?

Trump / Immigration / Construction

Trump / Xi / Fentanyl

US: Not at the G20 Table

China’s Control Beyond Rare Earths

Rich v Poor = Revolution?

Sandwich Assault?

US-DOL’s Misguided Media Campaign

From Prison to PhD

Data on Disappearing Jobs

College & Double Majors?

Decline of Special Ed

Upcoming webinars, etc.:

Suicide Protection (11/13)

Noise, Hearing Loss / Dementia (11/13)

SUD/OUD & Recovery Friendly Employers (11/18)

International Survivors of Suicide Loss Day (11/22)

Helping Struggling Students (12/9)

MO: Construction’s Hike for Hope (April 2026)

Suicide Postvention is Prevention

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.

November 10, 2025/by Missouri Works Initiative

Missouri Apprentice Ready Program, News, Success Stories

Serena’s Story: Missouri Works Initiative

Serena Green needed a fresh start after spending two years in prison and struggling with addiction. “I never had a working life before,” Green stated. She learned about the Missouri Works Initiative through her employment specialist and made a connection that changed her life. After speaking with Rudy Chavez, Construction Coordinator in Kansas City, and Jordan Baker who works with local contractor JE Dunn, Serena joined the Apprenticeship Ready in Construction Program for “a fresh start.”

Missouri Works Initiative is proud to provide students like Serena with work and safety gear, assistance with transportation, mentoring, and more. Serena brought a strong work ethic, a willingness to learn, and a can-do attitude towards coursework and training that carried her through graduation to employment. From the classroom to on-site visits at training centers and job sites, Serena and her class got hands-on experience with a variety of construction trades and skills. Serena took a special interest in grading, cement finishing, and electrical insulators. These are just a few of the skills her group had an opportunity to work on and learn about.

The Missouri Works Initiative program taught Serena more than hands-on skills; she spent time learning about soft skills like “time management for sure, eye contact, preparation,” as she stated in her interview. The interviews are an important part of the curriculum. Serena stated to “never go into an interview blind, do your research on (the job) you’re interviewing for and the company.” Part of the apprenticeship program is helping graduates find a career after completing the program, but it’s up to the students to research, prepare, and interview with a potential employer on their own and showcase the skills they have learned in their coursework.

After graduation, Serena secured a job as a union laborer with LiUNA Local 264 doing everything from cleaning up job sites to moving furniture with general contractor JE Dunn Construction, “great company by the way,” adds Serena. This job was life-changing for Serena, “I now have a car, looking for my own place, and I now have security knowing I’ve started my career as a (union) laborer.”

Serena wanted to thank Rudy Chavez, Jordan Baker, and the whole Missouri Works Initiative family for their help in getting her on her feet and into a rewarding career, “Thank you Missouri Works Initiative for giving me a fresh start in life…this program gave me a second chance and I’ll forever be grateful for the opportunity.”

Start your journey here.

November 6, 2025/by Missouri Works Initiative

Worker Wellness News

Wellness & Well-being Highlights November 3rd

Wellness & Well-being Highlights

for the

Week of November 3, 2025

This week’s edition of our Worker Wellness & Well-being blog provides us a look at the proliferation of dangerous products being sold to teen-agers at Gas Stations and Smoke Shops—to a recent study suggesting that modeling vulnerability can help address Mental Health issues in the construction industry—to what sleep doctors want us to know about the impact of time changes on our bodies and minds.

This week I would like to discuss the importance of what we say and how we say it. In the first article, Weil insists, “When someone is grieving, just say something.”[1] Her advice is based on the experience of losing a child. While she acknowledges that most of us do not know what to say in the midst of a tragic loss, there are some lessons she learned thereafter worth sharing and a few not so much.

The second article is mostly focused on reducing tensions during tense conversations but nevertheless offers tips applicable to the difficult situation mentioned above. A few are listed below:[2]

1) I hear you: When grief and trauma are involved, people do not need fixing…they need someone to listen. (Active listening requires one to step outside of their problem-solving mode and into a mode that many of us are not familiar/comfortable with. Hint: Remember the acronym WAIT: Why am I talking?)

2) Let’s find a way through this together: While most parents never get over the death of a child, they do find paths to ‘walk alongside’ their loss. In this time of need, they need support. (Helping with everyday tasks (i.e., grass cutting, grocery shopping, cooking meals, walking the dog, etc.) gives those in distress time and space. Hint: If you offer to do something…show up and do it!)

3) I appreciate you bringing this up: Gratitude builds trusts and, in turn, long term relationships. (When someone in need shares intimate details, it is incumbent upon us to use that info in a helping or healing manner. Hint: The ONLY time one should break that trust is when the person in need is thinking about hurting her/himself and/or others.)

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

Sources: [1] https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/2024/01/18/death-mourning-baby-grief-support/

[2] https://geediting.com/gen-10-phrases-that-instantly-lower-tension-in-difficult-conversations-according-to-psychology/

WARNING: Gas Station/Smoke Shop (7-OH) Kratom

Construction / MH / Vulnerability

Mourning & Greif: What to say?

Tension: Language Matters

Trump’s CDC Cuts Compromise Public Health & Safety

White House Demo & Asbestos Concerns

2025: Workers’ MH Decline

Women / Menopause / Silence

Cancer Avoidance?

Corn Belt: Rise of Cancer

Exercise: The Right Amount?

What Sleep Drs Wany You to Know

Full Moon & Sleep

Toilets / Tech / Science

Quiz: Microplastics

Negotiating: Monthly Bills

Boeing Workers Reject Latest Offer

Defense Workers’ Strikes & National Security

SOB: Employers do well when…

2028: Third Term?

Newsom & Prop 50…

DEI: No Scaling Back Now

US Surgeon General: Qualified?

China: Africa’s Mining Disaster

Good Employee Leave = Good Retention

More Applications = Less Quality?

Micro-shifting?

Lunch Guilt?

Undervaluing Employees?

Wellness & Well-being Highlights October 27th

Wellness & Well-being Highlights

for the

Week of October 27, 2025

This week’s edition of our Worker Wellness & Well-being blog provides us a look at advances with Parkinson’s disease—to an examination of football player safety: NFL v High School—to how tariffs have caused shortages and raised the price of firetrucks in communities.

This week I would like to discuss—what I believe to be—our nation’s next Mental Health crisis: Sports Gambling Addiction. In fact, I will go as far as saying that this issue potentially has the makings of doing worse damage than our current decades-long Opioids crisis! So, unless you have not turned on a TV or radio or live streamed news in the past week, you have heard that the FBI made several arrests connecting former and current NBA players and Underworld figures with sports-related betting schemes.[1]

Let’s face it…this is NOT rocket science! We have been here before, and, yet, NOT learned from our mistakes. This is not merely an issue of unintended consequences. It is pure and simple GREED. History reveals that when you open the flood gates crime follows. Just consider how many college sports teams and/or games are supported via alcohol advertising by A-B, Miller, etc. Meanwhile telling its audiences to drink responsibly fully knowing that many of those viewers are underage!

One month ago, I addressed the dangers of this topic in our WW blog and, in fact, our industry recently held a seminar focusing on those threats. Just yesterday, Jason Gay’s (WSJ) brutally honest piece struck right at the heart of the Sports Gambling debacle briefly captured below[2]:

Shocking? Hardly. I couldn’t have been the only person watching that highly dramatic press conference, thinking of the gambling trade’s daily assault on our senses—ads, ads, and more ads—saying: Well, what did anyone expect?

And, just last night, as I was watching a college football game the NCAA ran an ad called “Draw the line.”[3] This campaign is directed towards gamblers who lose bets and then turn their anger towards college athletes. I found it necessary to share a quote from their website below:

Sports betting is everywhere – your friends, family and classmates are placing bets, ads are impossible to miss, and the prevalence of harassment from angry fans who lost a bet continues to increase.

Seriously? The NCAA opened Pandora’s Box by cutting deals with these Sports Betting firms, making a king’s ransom on the deals, and then blames the people they need to help fuel this dystopian machine. As with the alcohol ads of yesteryear, Sports Gambling smacks its viewers with never-ending promos. The incredible amounts of money changing hands throughout the ecosystem seems to blind good, ‘second-order consequences’ type of thinking. When it comes to GREED, Gay said it best, this is “The surest of sure things.”

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

Source [1] https://www.npr.org/2025/10/23/nx-s1-5583614/nba-gambling-arrests-terry-rozier-chauncey-billups

[2] https://www.wsj.com/sports/basketball/the-most-inevitable-scandal-in-sports-history-b9d2c5c7?st=Va72n8&reflink=article_gmail_share

[3] www.ncaa.org/drawtheline

AI & Teen Suicide

FBI / NBA / Arrests

NBA & Gambling: What could go wrong?

Parkinson’s Deep Brain Stim Surgery

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

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