Works Initiative News | Worker Wellness & Career Opportunities

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

US Public Health Issue: Gun Violence

Kirk’s Death & America’s Future

America’s New Age: Political Violence?

Venezuela’s Response to US Drug Threats

Loneliness & Workplace

From Perversion to Pedophilia

Strong(er) Women

Chronic Pain: Women v Men

Mental Health Days Surge

TB’s Comeback?

Getting a COVID Shot?

Parents Bribing Kids

Sleep’s Impact on Your Brain

Fast Asleep

Elderly / Falls / Deaths

Neuroplasticity & Brain Injury Recovery

HS Football / Parents / Guardian Caps

Update: Granite City Steel

Update: Air Canada

Update: Starbucks Union/No Contract

MSU Faculty’s Union

MN Café Workers’ Union

Guild Employees Seek Job Protections

Denver Police’s New Agreement

Amazon Fires Drivers

Dispensary Decert

S Korea Auto Strike

Wellness & Well-being Highlights September 8th

Wellness & Well-being Highlights

for the

Week of September 8, 2025

This week’s edition of our Worker Wellness & Well-being blog looks at if the FTC will make progress regarding establishing guardrails for children using AI—to a rise in workers (random) testing positive for Fentanyl—to how our economy’s downturn negatively impacts Black workers. This week I would like to take a closer look at the array of training and resources that focus on the 3 sides of the suicide triangle…especially, since September 10^th (Global Suicide Prevention Awareness Day) is quickly approaching.

Suicide Prevention is a term that is often misused to describe activities that include Awareness, Intervention and Postvention. To be clear, prevention should be framed more accurately to describe ‘awareness’ efforts. To this end, a good example is AFSP’s course called Talk Saves Lives where one learns about warning signs, risk factors, protective factors, etc.[1]

Suicide Intervention is the 2^nd leg of the triangle. Herein, someone who notices those aforementioned signs and then acts is where we move from Prevention to Intervention. This stage requires commitment in the form of time, training, and practice. One must develop her/his listening skills, be compassionate but direct, and stay with this person in distress until a warm handoff takes place (physically getting the person in need into the hands of a mental health professional, ER, etc.).[2]

The third leg of the triangle is Suicide Postvention. Some experts refer to this as after-care, support for suicide loss survivors, etc. This stage is about what we do as a family, workplace, and/or community after an incident (whether it is an attempt or death). As I have mentioned before in this blog, this is the portion of the triangle that has NOT received much attention until recently![3] In fact, I am currently completing the 3^rd phase of a related research study involving the US Construction Industry that began in the Summer of 2024.

Let’s move from awareness to action by accessing trainings and resources that address each of the 3 legs of the suicide triangle made available in the last section of this week’s blog.

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

Sources: [1] https://afsp.org/talk-saves-lives/

[2] www.qprinstitute.com/

[3] https://www.datocms-assets.com/164289/1755120803-after-a-suicide-toolkit_construction-workplaces.pdf

AFSP’s Hard Hat Courage Toolkit

FTC / AI / Children’s MH

AI / Parental Controls / Teen Suicides

AI Psychosis

Digital Intervention & Suicide Ideation

Integrating Virtual MH Care

Gun Safety in Schools

Drug Testing / Workplace / Fentanyl (1)

Drug Testing / Workplace / Fentanyl (2)

Drug Misuse / Stress / Construction

Buffet Battles Cocaine Down South

Fentanyl Death: A Mother’s Fight for Justice

After a Loss: Insights to Grief & Healing

Education / Children / Trauma

STL’s Open Drug Market

STL’s SUD Recovery High School

Psychological Injuries / Workplace Harassment / Laws

Sports & Gambling

Impact on Lottery Winners

Autism / Tylenol / Pregnancy?

Less Sex Than Ever?

Sugar & Addiction

Phones / Toilets / Hemorrhoids

Face Scans’ Accuracy?

AARP / Stress Relief / App

FL / Schools / Vax Mandates

Processing Childhood Trauma

Microplastics & Alzheimer’s

RHI / CTE / Football

Invisible Impact Podcast

Labor Day: More Than a Day Off

Unions are Popular…Laws are Lacking

U of MN & Teamsters

AL / BuzzFeed / Organizing

ICE & Hyundai

Trump & Workers?

Poor Economy / Unemployment / Black Workers

ICE’s Career Expo

Impact of DC Cuts on Rural Healthcare

What is Clock Botching?

Soft Skills Matter

Skills for the Future

How Best to Use AI

Is AI Making Us Dumber?

Corporate America Ditches DEI

Hard Hat Riot

A Bricklaying Robot?

Demand for Skilled Trades Workers Grows

Upskilling & Retaining Construction Workers

MA / Voc-Ed / Waitlist

Higher Ed’s Crisis

Upcoming webinars, etc.:

VETs / STEP / Financial Wellness & Suicide Prevention (9/9)

Youth Suicide Awareness (9/10)

New Data on Construction Workers’ MH (9/11)

Hard Hats & Heavy Burdens (9/11)

Suicide Prevention (QPR) Training & Candlelight Vigil (9/10)

Suicide Prevention in Black Communities (9/23)

Trauma & SUD (9/23)

Race Against Suicide (9/27)

Suicide Prevention in Rural Communities

Trauma & Uncertainty

MiM Post-Suicide Response Guide

AFSP’s After a Suicide Toolkit for Construction

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 9, 2025/by Dr. John Gaal

Worker Wellness News

Wellness & Well-being Highlights September 1st

Wellness & Well-being Highlights

for the

Week of September 1, 2025

This week’s edition of our Worker Wellness & Well-being blog looks at speed cameras in construction zones—to AI has been linked to recent teen and adult suicides—to how pro baseball teams are utilizing peer support. This week I would like to take a closer look how to prepare for next month: Suicide Prevention Awareness month.

As noted before in this blog, Mindset (2025) reinforces the following:

Over 5,000 people working in construction die by suicide each year, five times more than annual jobsite fatalities. These numbers aren’t just alarming, they’re a call to action. They represent a critical and deeply human crisis in the construction industry, one we can no longer ignore. [1]

Beyond the article linked above, here are couple more resources that may assist in your preparation:

Talking about Suicide: Safe Messaging [2]
Suicide Prevention Month Workplace Toolkit [3]

September is filled with related/important educational activities, including but not limited to:

Sept 9: CIASP’s Conversation on Grief, Loss, & Prevention [4]
Sept 10: World Suicide Prevention Day
Sept 8-12: Construction Suicide Prevention Awareness Week [5]
Sept 15: Illume’s Zero Suicide [6]
Sept 17: American Legion’s Be the One [7]
Sept 18: Gambling Addiction in Construction [8]
Sept 28: AFSP’s Out of the Darkness Walk [9]

NOW is the time to move from awareness to ACTION!

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

Sources: [1] https://www.mindforgeapp.com/blog-posts/suicide-prevention-in-construction-from-awareness-to-action

[2] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TC8PNtIEmAA

[3] https://workplacesuicideprevention.com/national-suicide-prevention-month-workplace-toolkit/

[4] https://lnkd.in/eGpummsj

[5] https://constructionsuicideprevention.com/

[6] https://www.eventbrite.com/e/introduction-to-zero-suicide-tickets-1559821822059#:~:text=Monday%2C%20September%2015,Louis%2C%20MO%2063103

[7] https://www.legion.org/advocacy/be-the-one/be-the-one-training

[8] https://constructforstl.org/upcoming-events/mental-health-in-the-public-labor-industry/

[9] https://afspwalks.donordrive.com/StLouis

Suicide Postvention in Construction (1)

Suicide Postvention in Construction (2)

Suicide Postvention in Construction (3)

Construction Suicide Prevention: From Awareness to Action

MO Military Vets & Suicide

Construction Injuries & Liability

Construction Zones & Speed Cameras

AI / MH / Guardrails?

Teen Suicide Awareness

AI / Coaching / Teen Suicide (1)

AI / Coaching / Teen Suicide (2)

AI / Murder-Suicide

Acting / Listening / Saving

Tradesworkers & Drug Overdoses

MN School Shooting

Peer Support in MLB

NFL / Ketamine / Death

Rise of Impostor Nurses

Cartels / China / US Banks

Mexican Cartel Leader’s Guilty Plea

Mexico’s Violence Spreads Southward

Chicago & Narcan

Pregnancy & Anti-depressants

Lithium & Alzheimer’s

Ultra-processed Foods & Sex Hormones

Stress & Focus

Resilience = Strength

Today’s Human Connection

UAW / Ford / Battery Plant

OSHA / Union-Pacific / Damages

Philly Teachers’ New Contract

AZ / Union / Charter School

CO / Arena Pro Football / Teamsters

Trump / Firefighters / WA

Trump / Fed Workers / Unions

Workers Who Supported Trump

Trump’s Next Failure: OSHA?

DHS Bars Aid Groups’ Actions

FEMA on FEMA

FBI / Swatting / Colleges

Flatter Orgs = Less Leadership

Start Early – Leave Early?

AI’s Impact on Professions

Building a H&S Career

Lessons Learned: Brains of Vets & Athletes

Upcoming webinars, etc.:

Talking About Suicide in Construction

Suicide Prevention Awareness Month (Toolkit)

US Gun Violence Report 2023

Gen Z: Stressed Freshmen (9/16)

MH & Higher Ed (9/24)

MHA 2025 Report

MHA / Kids’ MH / New School Year

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.

August 31, 2025/by Dr. John Gaal

Worker Wellness News

Wellness & Well-being Highlights August 25th

Wellness & Well-being Highlights

for the

Week of August 25, 2025

This week’s edition of our Worker Wellness & Well-being blog looks at if AI improves efficiency or increases burnout—to how men’s behavior impacts birth rates—to whether or not online skill certificates lead to better pay. This week I would like to take a closer look at the video linked below.[1]

Yesterday, I had the opportunity to attend a webinar led by Dr Anna Mueller at the U of Indiana. She is the co-author of a fairly new book: Life under pressure. As we begin a new school year, I highly recommend this read for K-12 educators and parents. Dr Mueller takes us on a journey that explores the pressures our school children face both inside and outside of their schools. As a member and co-chair of the Missouri Suicide Prevention Network’s Postvention Committee, I read this book months ago when I first heard about it. In short, Dr Mueller and her colleague were invited to study the concept of suicide contagion in a small midwestern community. Their research digs into the culture of that community and how it plays a serious role in the matter at hand. These professors perform interviews and focus groups with educators, parents, and students in this town. Their findings cover suicide prevention, intervention, and, much to my surprise, postvention.

Dr Mueller highlighted parts of her book in the aforementioned webinar. Below is a brief overview of her summary, that we ALL should take note of:

The social connectedness, mental health stigma, and homogeneous and narrow cultural beliefs in this small town generated intense pressure for youth and families, schools, and the community to uphold these ideals that felt inescapable.

As such, this resulted in:

*Increased psychological pain

*Suppression of help-seeking

*Poor postvention and problematic memorialization practices

Which combined to expand the interpretation of suicide as a means to escape the oppressive context and, therefore, amplified vulnerability to suicide.[1]

Hopefully, you can foresee how that these findings might be applied to the workplace and have similar ill effects! Next month is Suicide Prevention Awareness month across the globe. With nearly 800k (~50k in the USA) people dying by suicide last year, let’s start planning today how we can become effective change agents!

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

Source: [1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-treWmPgO3s

AFSP / Bechtel / Suicide Prevention

Psychological Injuries & WP Harassment

Women Writing Construction’s Next Chapter

Period & Depression

AI Psychosis

AI: Efficiency or Burnout?

Summer 2025’s Happy Workers

Path to a Good Life

Change & Compassionate Communication

Forest Bathing & MH

What is Ozempic Teeth?

Birth Rates & Supportive Men

Suicidal Ideation: What to Say

Sleep & Cheese

Sleep & Exercise

Kratom’s Risks

Exercises & Back Pain

Reducing Belly Fat

Watches / Stress / Metric

Health Care & Relocating

Birds & Light Pollution

Americans & Reading for Pleasure

HS Cancels Varsity Football

5 Rail Unions: Cooling Off

IA Candy Strike Ends

Boeing Workers Hold Out

VW / Mexico / Union

Columbia Union Replaces TAs

Air Canada Strike

Trump & Homeless Vets

Trump Clears DC Encampments

San Fran’s Homeless Tool

Homeless & Heat

Trump Cancels Union Contracts (1)

Trump Cancels Union Contracts (2)

Trump Cancels Union Contracts (3)

Gutting Dept of Ed & Research Impact

ICE’s Hiring Blitz

National Guard Patrolling DC Streets

Certificates & Better Pay (1)

Certificates & Better Pay (2)

Trading PTOs for Student Debt

Canadian Job Security

Why Work Longer?

McCarthy’s Internships

K-8 School Enrollment & Anxiety

HR / Parents / Back to School Help

Fixing Childcare

UT & Hungry College Students

Alabama’s Slavery Deal?

Upcoming webinars, etc.:

Strategies for Rural Suicide (8/26)

Mates in Mind: World Suicide Prevention Day (9/10)

Free Adult MHFA (9/10)

Free Youth MHFA (9/19)

MH COMET Training (9/23)

PreventEd’s Teen Institute (11/13-16)

NAMI: Back to School Resources

Firearms & Suicide (All Tuesdays in Sept)

Life Under Pressure: A Mueller w/ M Gladwell

Workplace Mental Health 2025

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.

August 25, 2025/by Dr. John Gaal

Worker Wellness News

Wellness & Well-being Highlights August 18th

Wellness & Well-being Highlights

for the

Week of August 18, 2025

This week’s edition of our Worker Wellness & Well-being blog looks at the negative impact of Chatbots on people with Autism—to how deaths from the opioids crisis has turned grandparents into parents once again—to why many teens today are avoiding learning how to drive. This week I would like to take a closer look at the ever-changing 4^th wave of our nation’s opioids crisis.

In previous blogs I have written about how the opioids crisis has moved from one phase to another. Today, I wish to speak to its current phase but let’s first quickly identify the first 3 phases.

1) Overprescribing/Diversion

2) Heroin

3) Fentanyl

The 4^th phase can be described as Polysubstances. In this phase we find suppliers/dealers adding other substances (typically drugs) into their fentanyl supply. By now, most of us have heard that we should NEVER take a pill unless it was provided to you by your doctor or pharmacist. Why? Because suppliers/dealers are pressing counterfeit pills laced with fentanyl. The cutting of the fentanyl may be done for various reasons, including but limited to stretching one’s profits.

Another possible reason to cut fentanyl is to prolong one’s high. Within the past 2 years we have seen Xylazine laced into fentanyl. Xylazine is an animal sedative…it was not intended for human use…therefore, we do not have an antidote for humans. Since Xylazine is a sedative and not an opioid, Narcan (naloxone) does NOT work to reverse it. More recently, we are experiencing a different drug being added to fentanyl: Medetomidine…is stronger than Xylazine. While approved for specific uses in humans, Medetomidine is “most often used by veterinarians as an animal tranquilizer.”[1] This drug dangerously slows the heart rate sometimes into the 20s (~60 beats per minute is usual) and also does NOT respond to Narcan.

So as law enforcement cracks down on Xylazine, the drug cartels pivot. Thus, creating stages within the 4^th phase. It appears this deadly game of cat and mouse will continue as long as US consumers seek illegal drugs. To this end, one expert suggested the “interdiction of synthetic drugs is so difficult that US policy-makers should focus resources on helping drug users find medical treatment instead of funding more law enforcement efforts.”[1]

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

Source: [1] https://www.npr.org/2024/05/31/nx-s1-4974959/medetomidine-overdose-fentanyl-sedative

Kids & School Safety

UT / MH / Calls Surge

Opioids: Grandparents’ New Role

WARNING: Medetomidine & Fentanyl Mix

Meth is Making a Comeback

Psychedelic Therapy?

Drug Recovery Triumph

Drinking Less?

Listening to Your Body

Implants & Mind Reading

Weight Loss & Fat Shaming

PT: Reduce Pain & Boost Strength

Men / Retirement / Life Satisfaction

PR & Breastfeeding @ Work

MO: Having a Baby

Workers / Stress / Finances

Resilience Guide

Canada: Safety Harmonization

Processed Foods Impact on Health

Japanese Boxing / TBIs / Deaths

Air Canada Strike

Philly Teachers’ Strike Looms

IL Bolsters Labor Laws

Books / CWA / Anit-union Charges

MI / Teamsters / ULP

AI / Unions / Worker Protections

CDC Shooting / Remote Work / Union

Trump Cuts Challenge US Science Leadership

Trump / DC / Purging Homeless

Trump Deploys Military on US Soil

DEI / Govt Pressure / Companies Retreat

MO / Repeal /Paid Sick Leave

Safety / Liability / Staff

NY Scaffolding: Relief vs Protection

Chop Wood, Carry Water

OSU Football’s Reading List

America’s Mobility Stalls

Kareem’s Choice: A False America

St. Mary’s High School: Careers

KY Construction & Goodwill Train Workers

Canada’s Apprenticeship Strategy

Canada / Women / Trades

MA & Private Apprenticeship

Teens’ Driving Dilemma

Constructive Dismissals

Recognizing Employees?

Moms Leaving the Workforce

Pay Transparency

Navigating Online Job Postings

Short Breaks Improve Creativity

Upcoming webinars, etc.

Construction Suicide Postvention (8/21)

Farm Safety Week (9/21-27)

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.

August 18, 2025/by Missouri Works Initiative

Missouri Apprentice Ready Program, News, Success Stories

Denise’s Story: Missouri Works Initiative

Denise Whitener, a stay at home mom doing deliveries part time to supplement her income, had been interested in working in construction for “quite a while, and was looking for ways to skill up and prepare to get started in the industry”. She found Missouri Works Initiative through her interest in labor related pages on social media, and thought it matched her goals. “I signed up because I wanted to enter the construction field through the right door. I want to be a Union Construction worker.”

Through the Apprenticeship Ready Program in Construction, Denise got a taste of the different construction trades that could become her full time career through work site visits and hands-on lessons at training centers. “I enjoyed getting to view the different union training facilities,” she said, “I learned how to cut and set tile, bend conduit, and bend sheet metal!”

Beyond the job-specific training Denise participated in, she was able to get industry-standard certifications that employers look for in a potential employee, giving her a leg up over other candidates, “obtaining a MEWP (Mobile Elevating Work Platform) certification, First Aid/CPR, and OSHA 30 Certifications helped with the interview process.”

Soon after her graduation, Denise’s new skills and certifications got her in the door and hired at a company that values her drive and her ability to take on any task.”I work for MoDOT Warrenton as a maintenance worker. We maintain the roads, performing pothole patching, bridge washing, indecking and sealing, mowing, hauling, ditching, and litter pick up…I now have a job where I can put my skills to use, and it has been rewarding. I am working towards my Class A CDL with several endorsements. I am gaining experience working in the field instead of inside a manufacturing plant, which I enjoy.”

Denise’s passion for the construction industry is driving her to further her skills and her career. “I am working towards becoming a Heavy Equipment Operator. That is my ultimate goal. I want to be a member of IUOE Local 513 and learn how to skillfully maneuver the beautiful giants that build our nation!”

As she reflects on her time in the Missouri Works Initiative program, she wants to shout out, “All of the union locals for hosting us!” We want to shout out Denise for her commitment to following her dreams and taking charge of her future to build a better life.

Start your journey here.

August 15, 2025/by Missouri Works Initiative

Partner Spotlight: Tim Clavin

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

Wellness & Well-being Highlights September 29th

Wellness & Well-being Highlights September 22nd

Wellness & Well-being Highlights September 15th

Wellness & Well-being Highlights September 8th

Wellness & Well-being Highlights September 1st

Wellness & Well-being Highlights August 25th

Wellness & Well-being Highlights August 18th

Denise’s Story: Missouri Works Initiative

Call Us

Follow Us