Worker Wellness News Archives | Page 11 of 20

Wellness & Well-being Highlights June 11

Wellness & Well-being Highlights

for the

Week of June 11, 2023

This week’s edition of our Worker Wellness & Well-being blog consists of topics from how the decrease in opium production has impacted the Taliban to how practicing gratitude improves lives beyond the giver and receiver to how retirees need to actively manage their money. Today, I wish to shed some light on the issue of child care in the USA. This week, I have posted links to at least 5 timely articles on this topic. Between the impact of COVID, grandparents living longer and seeking more adventure, and lingering student debt, caretakers (mainly women) are having to make choices that often involve dire consequences…especially for those who are trying to survive at low-wage jobs. If children truly are our future, then we need to collectively propose solutions that ensure all kids have opportunities to learn and grow in safe and loving environments. Research suggests that kids who are not reading at grade level by grade 4, are more than likely to become part of the criminal justice system. A number of European countries addressed this important topic decades ago. Might it be time that we consider their lessons learned?

Sources: https://www.cnn.com/2018/04/25/health/child-care-parenting-explainer-intl/index.html

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/06/upshot/child-care-biden.html

Drug addiction & prevention info (Multiple Languages)

Ontario requires some businesses to carry Narcan

Narcan: How much is too much?

Opium & Taliban’s feature

Opioid settlement funds: Going forward

Opioid settlement disappointment (1)

Opioid settlement disappointment (2)

Weight loss drugs & Addictions?

Are people w/ SUD being mistreated by medical professionals?

On triggering depression

Signs of childhood depression

Parents’ response to the loss of their daughter

How Social Media is impacting our kids

MH & Career discrimination

Mpox awareness: Summer 2023

The benefits of GRATITUDE

When self-care is no longer self-care

Religion & Health

On long term care insurance

On exhausting your retirement savings

MH & Rural Living

Tick season is here

Newt’s demise

Japan wants foreign workers

The US child care dilemma (1)

The US child care dilemma (2)

The US child care dilemma (3)

Child care & Grandma…Don’t count on it

Child care / Women / COVID rebound

The lifeguard shortage

Teaching others to SWIM

Elie’s Night: Revisited

Animal rights?

Helicopter parents…in the workplace!

RUST in the workplace

Menopause benefits?

Neonatal leave?

Women / Men / Time

The job of attracting & retaining apprentices

Take the PHISHING quiz

The Gay badge of honor

Upcoming webinar:

Queering the farm

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 johngaal@moaflcio.org with related questions or comments.

June 14, 2023/by Braxton Payne

Worker Wellness News

Wellness & Well-being Highlights June 4

Wellness & Well-being Highlights

for the

Week of June 4, 2023

This week’s edition of our Worker Wellness & Well-being blog consists of topics from how jails across the nation are experiencing an influx of mentally ill “inmates” awaiting competency treatment to advice on how today’s workers are seeking work with meaning to how more high school grads are skipping college. Today, I wish to shed some light on the issue of homelessness in America. Hardly a week goes by where I do not see an increase of panhandlers on street corners in my region. According to the article cited below, California has seen its homeless population grow by 50% in the last 6 years. In fact, this state has about ½ of nation’s unsheltered people (~115k)! Leaders there recognize that the $17b spent on resolving this issue in the past 4 years has NOT worked. Some experts suggest that closing down encampments merely moves the “problem” to other nearby areas. Make no mistake, this is a public health issue; Drugs, crime, sanitation are just a few matters these “host” cities must contend with in this context. More importantly, as a nation that claims to be a world leader, isn’t it time we find more humane ways to assist those in need (i.e., Vets, drug addicts, mentally ill)? Too often, our govt officials seek one-size-fits-all cures. Hopefully, this article will help clarify that simple responses rarely result in lasting solutions that positively impact the people who make up our communities.

Source: https://www.wsj.com/articles/california-homeless-population-oakland-wood-street-encampment-78d42cc3?mod=Searchresults_pos3&page=1

Prisons as psych wards

Sacklers / Opioids lawsuit / Bankruptcy (1)

Sacklers / Opioids lawsuit / Bankruptcy (2)

Sacklers / Opioids lawsuit / Bankruptcy (3)

Opioids / Suboxone / Greed

Opioids solution & African plant

Opioids solution & Tech

Depression & Appetite

Wellness & Well-being Highlights May 28

Wellness & Well-being Highlights

for the

Week of May 28, 2023

This week’s edition of our Worker Wellness & Well-being blog consists of topics from why one’s mental health can impact her/his body’s aging to how scientists are applying COVID-related research techniques to help identify drug misuse in communities to the pros and cons of retiring abroad. Today, I wish to shed some light on the issue of industries across the board insisting that OSHA treat the mental health aspects of safety in the workplace with the same level of care that they currently require for the physical aspects of safety. Recently, a major contractor took a stand on this very issue in spite of OSHA’s claim that these hazards “are outside the agency’s purview for providing a safe workplace.” Hopefully, the research about to get underway on psychological safety in the construction industry will help provide additional evidence to move OSHA from a passive stance to an active approach to mental health. Focusing only on the physical aspects of safety is a half-hearted strategy to keeping workers safe. After all, people do not leave their personal baggage at the time clock. What more needs to be considered? It is no secret that: 1) Illegal drug use exists on the job (white- and blue-collar); and 2) Addiction is a brain disease. As May (Mental Health Month) comes to a close, let’s commit to making mental health in the workplace an everyday issue not unlike requiring tool guards, masks, and hearing & eye protection. If our workers truly are our most valuable asset, then why are we waiting to include at least a 1-hour segment addressing these mental health “hazards” in our OSHA-10 and OSHA-30 courses?

Sources: https://www.constructiondive.com/news/suffolk-osha-require-suicide-awareness-training/649667/?:%202023-05-10%20Construction%20Dive%20Newsletter%20%5Bissue:50365%5D

https://www.constructiondive.com/news/researcher-secures-174k-grant-study-psychological-safety-construction/650852/?:%202023-05-23%20Construction%20Dive%20Newsletter%20%5Bissue:50715%5D

Pushing US-DOL’s OSHA to require Suicide Awareness training

New grant awarded to study psychological safety in construction

Getting to know the adolescent brain

Youth promoting MH for the young

Youth / Social Media / Surgeon General / MH (1)

Youth / Social Media / Surgeon General / MH (2)

On MH and the aging of your body

Blacks / Police violence / MH

Wearables & MH

DEA / Opioids license / Failures

Lessons learned from COVID wastewater & Drug overdoses

New Narcan?

Why ALL of us should carry Narcan!

Is OR legalizing psychedelics?

On treating chronic pain

Ozempic: Who pays for weight loss?

Infants / Sleep / Lullabies

On practicing forgiveness

Art & MH

Hypnotherapy & MH

Ashley Judd on Mom’s suicide

Retiring abroad (1)

Retiring abroad (2)

New kickoff rule = A safer NFL?

On worker shortages & rolling back Child Labor Laws

LA Strippers unionize

US having fewer babies: Impact of Limited Social Mobility & Weak Safety Net

Share of immigrant workforce grows in USA

Surge in youth immigrants reaching the US border

Upcoming webinars, etc.:

Narcan Training

Improving perinatal care

Stretch yoga

Yoga + Dance

Missouri Household Survey: Broadband

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 johngaal@moaflcio.org with related questions or comments.

May 29, 2023/by Braxton Payne

Worker Wellness News

Wellness & Well-being Highlights May 21

Wellness & Well-being Highlights

for the

Week of May 21, 2023

This week’s edition of our Worker Wellness & Well-being blog consists of topics from the use of vending machines for Narcan to how “optional” perks from the past are now becoming “essential” for addressing employees’ MH to how recent inflationary pressures are impacting prison inmates. Today, I wish to shed some light on the issue of opening our borders so that qualified foreign workers can obtain gainful employment while filling areas where workforce shortages exist and are persistent. A number of developed countries (including Canada, Japan, and Germany…our allies) have recently tweaked their immigration policies in response to their aging populations (wherein birth rates have severely decreased over the past 3-4 decades). The USA is facing a similar situation but continues to resist a systemic approach to this dilemma. As a baby-boomer, sooner rather than later, I am concerned that not addressing this matter in a holistic manner will result in a lesser quality-of-life for not just me but our nation as a whole. In closing, let’s try to learn lessons from BJC’s foray into attracting nurses from abroad and expand this concept to other sectors of our economy…while trying NOT to kill the goose laying those golden eggs!

Sources: https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-worlds-biggest-economies-cautiously-open-their-doors-to-more-foreign-workers-664c3549

https://www.ksdk.com/video/news/health/faced-with-nursing-shortage-this-st-louis-hospital-is-looking-for-workers-abroad/63-3fe14f9e-ce87-4084-9835-ff936f8e0cde

MAY is Mental Health Awareness Month

Update: Overdose deaths (1)

Update: Overdose deaths (2)

Campaign to expand the MH workforce

Narcan vending machines

A new “War on Drugs”?

Police / Fentanyl / Risks

Teens / Drugs / Guns

On taking a MH day

Benefits of supporting others at work: Men v Women

MH in the workplace: Options v Essential

Warning: Processed meats

Schools & Diabetes

Tik Tok / Teens / Darkness

Dealing w/ Long COVID

Wellness & Well-being Highlights May 14

Wellness & Well-being Highlights

for the

Week of May 14, 2023

This week’s edition of our Worker Wellness & Well-being blog consists of topics from the change in COVID-19’s public health emergency status to how teens are being negatively impacted by technology to when it comes to savings, nearly half of today’s baby boomers are ill-prepared. Today, I wish to shed some light on the issue of Child Labor. Last Sunday, CBS ran a 60 Minutes segment on this very topic. Wherein, children under the age of 18 were working the overnight shifts, at numerous slaughterhouses, for an independent contractor. They were cleaning processing equipment with dangerous chemicals around and with dangerous tools. Most of these children were also attending school after their work shifts. Sadly, a few of them have been scarred and several have fallen asleep in their classrooms. Thanks to attentive educators, this packing company and their contractor have been called out. This reminds me of a common saying in airports since 9-11: See something, say something. Profits and capitalism at all costs contradict what unions have worked long and hard to protect: Human Rights, Civil Rights, and Workers’ Rights…for ALL, not just a select few!

Source: https://www.cbsnews.com/amp/news/government-investigation-into-slaughterhouse-cleaning-company-that-hired-children-60-minutes-transcript-2023-05-07/

US workers & Chronic pain

How fentanyl is devastating the USA

Why Narcan matters

Kroger’s Opioids settlement

Mammograms @ 40

COVID-19 Update

Wellness & Well-being Highlights May 7

Wellness & Well-being Highlights

for the

Week of May 7, 2023

This week’s edition of our Worker Wellness & Well-being blog consists of topics from how the DEA is taking a new approach to stemming our nation’s opioid (fentanyl) crisis to how John Legend is supporting efforts to help former prisoners re-enter the workforce to the Surgeon General’s take on the negative impact of isolation and loneliness in our society. Today, I wish to shed some light on the issue of how a medical doctor’s recent life and death experience (related to a food allergy) on a SWA flight has garnered national attention. Apparently, SWA’s first aid kit did not have an EpiPen to assist her but fortunately another passenger (first responder) was available to administer a shot of epinephrine. Not too long ago, I wrote about my experience last October on SWA’s Flight 928 wherein a first responder and I used Narcan to revive a passenger who was in throes of an opioid overdose. If you recall, afterwards, SWA ignored my request to address the issue in a professional and responsible manner. As I reflect on these two distinct events, I feel a need to ask if SWA’s failure to act months ago had more to do with the “stigma” of drug misuse vs saving face (i.e., flying ill-equipped planes w/ ill-prepared employees)? More importantly, the FAA is in the process of reviewing their minimum standards regarding airlines’ first aid kits. Hopefully, by the end of this summer, we will see ALL commercial carriers carrying Narcan and EpiPens on their flights as well as have flight crews trained to administer these life-saving drugs!

Sources: https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/movement-equip-airplanes-epipens-gaining-traction-rcna82392

https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/columns/tony-messenger/messenger-st-louis-man-who-saved-overdose-victim-pushes-airline-to-carry-narcan/article_54ced5c1-9d10-5867-9101-979b08e9bc3e.html

Kids’ declining MH

Senate / Limits / Social Media / Kids’ MH

Gun assaults on kids more than double during COVID’s peak

DEA’s new Fentanyl strategy

Fentanyl deaths spike

Test strips for Fentanyl

I can, You can, We all can, NARCAN

Will a near death on SWA flight prompt FAA to review rules?

High School suicide results in reviewing current MH system

WHO / COVID-19 / New era

Life after prison

Marijuana & Federal jobs

Sans alcohol & Sober derby

Back pain & Cooking

How to say goodbye

Surgeon General / Isolation & Loneliness (1)

Surgeon General / Isolation & Loneliness (2)

Surgeon General / Isolation & Loneliness (3)

Women & Maternal Health

Period products in men’s restrooms?

Fried foods / Depression & Anxiety

Women / Construction / Injuries

STL-based General Contractor transitions to Safety Helmets

UFCW opposes Kroger merger

Wellness & Well-being Highlights April 30

Wellness & Well-being Highlights

for the

Week of April 30, 2023

This week’s edition of our Worker Wellness & Well-being blog consists of topics from how one city is taking a different approach to addressing their area’s mental health crisis to how essential oils may impact your mood to the rise of fake nursing degrees. Today, I wish to shed some light on the issue of the Workers Memorial Day. Over 50 years ago, this nation passed a law to protect (most) workers on the job known as the Occupational Health & Safety Act of 1970. PLEASE take the time to review any or all of the first 4 articles in this week’s blog. There is something for every worker from those in the trenches to those in middle and upper management positions. We all have a duty to not only protect ourselves but our sister and brother workers as well. Nearly 20 years ago, fellow researchers from Washington University’s School of Medicine approached me to form an ongoing partnership to study safety issues on STL construction job sites. Their goal was to help improve conditions that would result in bringing our workers safely home to their families and communities…on a daily basis. In so doing, with the cooperation of BOTH labor & management, WE have done just that! In closing, I remain grateful that this partnership still exists to meet the ever-changing needs of work & society.

Source: https://www.osha.gov/laws-regs/oshact/completeoshact

Construction Falls resource

May 10^th is Safety Professionals Day

Workers Memorial Day

Deaths on the job

Community MH resources

Seattle / Tax / MH

Social media / Teens / MH

Suicides & Guns

Rural gun-related deaths

Trigger-happy America?

Walmart & Opioids

Wellness & Well-being Highlights April 23

Wellness & Well-being Highlights

for the

Week of April 23, 2023

This week’s edition of our Worker Wellness & Well-being blog consists of topics from how a US Senator confronted his mental health issues to how a nature hike can improve your well-being to when to retire and upon doing so how one can enter a 2^nd (service) career. Today, I wish to shed some light on the issue of gun violence. To date, there have been more mass shootings in the USA than days in the 2023 calendar. In fact, this year’s number surpasses that of this time last year (131 v 113). Nearly 60 years ago, as I child, my school classmates and I practiced “duck-and-cover” drills in case of an atomic attack. Today, among other drills, 5 year olds are practicing “active shooter” drills. Meanwhile, we have state legislators across this country banning library books v confronting the proliferation of weapons! Just last week, I wrote about the negative impact of ACEs (trauma) on our children’s futures. We have a choice: Look towards a model like the one in Philly or sit on the sidelines while our kids continue to die from senseless violence!

Source: https://www.npr.org/2023/04/20/1170987638/philly-schools-aim-to-lower-shootings-involving-kids-with-conflict-resolution-sk

Stressed workers looking for support from employers

MH & Time Out in the office

US Senator helps break MH stigma

Teen suicide & MH parity?

European model for addressing mental illness

US & Fentanyl traffickers

Mexico’s Fentanyl cartels

Prisons & Opioid treatment

Tranq & Animal vets

Backlash on telehealth scripts

Philly’s approach to Kids’ shootings

Why are kids getting shot for honest mistakes?

Wellness & Well-being Highlights April 16

Wellness & Well-being Highlights

for the

Week of April 16, 2023

This week’s edition of our Worker Wellness & Well-being blog consists of topics from how Mental Health and Suicide have impacted the construction industry to the benefits of exercising outdoors to why the nursing profession needs more men. Today, I wish to shed some light on the issue of childhood trauma. Several years ago, a study came forth explaining the concept of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs). And, how people who experience 4 or more of these types of trauma often have difficulty with related matters in adulthood. For people under the age of 18, issues like child abuse (i.e., sexual, physical, emotional), a family member going to prison or being killed, divorce, poverty, etc. can negatively impact kids for life. In general, some experts suggest that if a parent abuses a child, then it is likely that this child will abuse his/her children, and so on. Furthermore, since there is a correlation between trauma and addiction, by identifying ACEs early on healthcare professionals may be able to assist victims and communities mitigate their long-term effects.

Source: https://www.ncjfcj.org/wp-content/uploads/2006/10/Finding-Your-Ace-Score.pdf

White House on Tranq (1)

White House on Tranq (2)

White House on Tranq (3)

Judge on Tranq

Philly’s harm reduction & Tranq

Marijuana & Addiction

Suicides in the Navy

MH & Suicide in the Construction Industry

ACE Scores / Kids / Trauma

Benefits of exercising outdoors

PTSD Treatment Guide

Guns & Kids

Gun Violence & Mental Illness

Louisville Bank Shooter & CTE?

EIU Faculty Strike

Medical residents unionize

Unions warn of Social Security collapse

Construction industry needs more workers

Cancer coverage for firefighters

Nursing needs more men

Upcoming webinars, etc.:

Impact of opioids on the workplace

Chair yoga

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 johngaal@moaflcio.org with related questions or comments.

April 17, 2023/by Braxton Payne

Worker Wellness News

Wellness & Well-being Highlights April 9

Wellness & Well-being Highlights

for the

Week of April 9, 2023

This week’s edition of our Worker Wellness & Well-being blog consists of topics from how one region in Canada is now requiring Naloxone (Narcan) to be present on various types of at-risk workplaces (i.e., construction job sites) to how oral hygiene impacts one’s health to how important apprenticeships are to the US energy sector. Today, I wish to shed some light on how AI (artificial intelligence) is being used to improve your health. Less than 2 weeks ago, I spoke at a national summit on suicide prevention in the construction industry, in KC, MO. My part as a panelist was to address “innovations” pertaining to the summit’s theme. My fourth and final bullet point focused on the use of AI in this space. And, just yesterday, the WSJ ran an article that really digs into the point I made. Doctors are turning to AI to help aid them in their decision-making processes. By no means are they turning over their responsibility to a machine. Let’s face it, no one professional can keep up with the vast amounts of data produced on a daily basis. In fact, when comes to adverse medication effects, about 70% of them are due to prescription errors. With the assistance of AI, doctors can meld deep learning with deep reasoning.

Source: https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-ai-will-see-you-now-5f8fba14?reflink=integratedwebview_share

MH in the construction industry

Steps to help prevent suicide

New Canadian law requires Naloxone in at-risk workplaces

Couple helps Tranq victims

Non-opioids approach to pain management

San Fran’s new approach to Bupe (Suboxone)

The Good Sam Law?

Do financial wellness programs work?

Debt & Well-being

Not unplugging during time off

Breakfasts for beating stress?

Will this ancient herb clam your stress?

Oral hygiene & Health

AI & Doctors

Why try PT before surgery?

Colonoscopy / Under 50

Couples & Talking/Listening

COVID’s impact on church-going

Yoga & Golf

Deep water exercise

Your mood / Your skin

OSHA / SC / Black workers

Sexual assaults @ military academies

Layoffs during leave

NLRB & NDAs

Labor shortage impacts clean energy transition

Apprenticeships make US

Support in trade apprenticeships: Barriers

Supreme Court & Legal v Ethical

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 johngaal@moaflcio.org with related questions or comments.

April 10, 2023/by Braxton Payne

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