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Archive for category: Worker Wellness News

Worker Wellness News

Wellness & Well-being Highlights July 10

Wellness & Well-being Highlights

for the

Week of July 10, 2023

This week’s edition of our Worker Wellness & Well-being blog consists of topics from how the concept worker wellness is gaining importance in the C-Suite to how the >50-year War on Drugs has cost Americans a lot in terms of lives and funding with scant results to the news of the first female professional athlete being diagnosed with the brain disease, CTE…which, currently, can only be determined postmortem. Today, I wish to shed some light on the issue of how good intentions can often have unintended consequences. More specifically, there is an ongoing heated debate in the US as to whether or not our public health systems should support harm reduction efforts. Harm reduction has more recently become a popular term as it relates to measures to safely assist people experiencing OUD (opioid use disorder) avoid becoming “dope sick” w/o fear of judgment and/or discrimination. These measures may include providing clean needles; free Narcan, tests strips, condoms; wound care; supervised use space; and/or counseling. Recent research has shown that compassionate care is a strategy that can improve the lives of those who misuse drugs while patterns of drug overdoses and deaths have followed major busts in several areas. With respect to the latter, why? Experts suggest that by destabilizing the illegal drug ecosystem in a given area, users seek their supply from less reliable sources (i.e., product with greater potency, laced with Xylazine, etc.) or go without drugs for a short period which can alter one’s tolerance when returning to use. As I have written before in this blog, policies on paper may look great but rarely ferret out issues much beyond first order consequences.

Let’s face it, this nation has:

  • a workforce shortage
  • over 2 million adults with OUD

Right or wrong, we cannot arrest our way out of the opioids crisis. Maybe it is time to stop penalizing those with a disease and begin helping them become productive members of society!

 

Sources: https://www.npr.org/2023/07/05/1183172045/fentanyl-drug-busts-overdose-police-dealers-trafficking-indianapolis

 

First Responders & Suicide Prevention

 

MH: One Size does not Fit All

 

Total Worker Health & Jobsite Safety

 

India’s execs commit to MH

 

Firms hiring Chief Wellness Officers

 

Swapping hard hats for safety helmets

 

+50 War on Drugs

Cannabis & Mental Illness

 

Narcan on the jobsites!!!

 

Opioid ODs & Cognitive Abilities

 

Opioids’ Impact on Rural Workforce

 

Paramedics approach to repeat opioids ODs

 

More on Tranq

 

Pros & Cons of Fentanyl busts

 

DEA / Social Media / Fentanyl Crisis

 

Update: Adult ADHD

 

ASMR & Posture

 

Reiki & Connection

 

On hitting your “peaks”

 

Sunburn treatment

 

Better sleep differs w/ age

 

US tap water & Forever chemicals

 

Update: Alzheimers medicine

 

CTE & Female Pro Athlete (1)

 

CTE & Female Pro Athlete (2)

 

CTE & Female Pro Athlete (3)

 

So Cal hotel strike

 

UFW win in NY

Another Child Labor Violator

 

REI & Union busting

 

China’s Brain Drain

 

Why we get scammed?

 

Update: Student Loans

 

Students & Motivation

 

More on construction’s discrimination issues

 

Women & Construction’s Worker Shortage

 

Jobs after prison?

 

MO: Parents & Jail / Kids & School

 

Upcoming webinars, etc.:

Virtual Reality demo: Alcohol & Your Brain

 

Yoga for Adults

 

 

 

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.

 

July 10, 2023/0 Comments/by Braxton Payne
https://moworksinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/iStock-697895326.jpg 779 1345 Braxton Payne https://moworksinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/missouri-works-initiative-logo-new-1-300x222.png Braxton Payne2023-07-10 16:39:312023-07-10 16:39:31Wellness & Well-being Highlights July 10
Worker Wellness News

Wellness & Well-being Highlights July 3

Wellness & Well-being Highlights

for the

Week of July 3, 2023

This week’s edition of our Worker Wellness & Well-being blog consists of topics from how poverty negatively impacts a child’s brain to the benefits of hypnotherapy to the recent US Supreme Court’s rulings on colleges & affirmative action and student debt relief. Today, I wish to shed some light on the issue of the “graying” of America. This week I include no less than 4 articles touching on aspects of how grandparents’ duties have changed over the past couple of decades. In addition, why some people into their 80s choose to continue to work. Addressing the former, I have made it no secret in this weekly blog the extent of our country’s opioids crisis. One consequence is that more and more grandparents—who once viewed their retirement years as time for worldly travels, rest, and relaxation—are now stepping up to fill in as parents to their grandchildren. Far too many parents in the 25-54 year range have lost their lives to what I referred to as a “pandemic” long before we knew what COVID-19 was. With respect to the latter, on one hand, the instability of global markets, climate change, epidemics, and a lack of defined pension plans in most workplaces in the past 3 decades have been cause for many older Americans not having sufficient funds to live comfortably in retirement. Thus, finding PT work in retirement is a means of survival vs a need to feed a hobby. While, on the other hand, there are those of us who are able to seek opportunities to contribute. Beyond the ultruism of paying it forward, research suggests that staying active (i.e., consulting, volunteering, etc.) builds/maintains social connections which can help stave off loneliness and early death. With an apparent worker shortage, it seems to make sense for firms to recruit and accommodate retirees to assist in filling in the gaps. To this end, retirees can offer more than institutional knowledge…they can also serve as role models. As my dear friend Dr Doug Swanson recently remarked, “This is the first time in US history that we have 5 generations in the workforce at the same time.” To me, that sounds less like a death knell and more like opportunity knocking!

 

Sources: https://the1a.org/segments/the-opioid-crisis-is-causing-grandparents-to-become-caregivers-again/

https://www.wsj.com/articles/grandparents-get-their-version-of-parental-leave-825fa88c

https://www.npr.org/2023/06/26/1184268060/what-does-an-older-population-mean-for-the-economy-society-at-large

https://www.sciencefocus.com/the-human-body/social-fitness/amp/

 

On Social Fitness

 

Shortage of cancer drugs?

 

The science of trauma

 

Impact of Poverty on Children’s Brains

 

NYC / Homeless / Mental Illness

 

Is there a link between Marijuana / Schizophrenia / Young Men?

 

How to unwind w/o alcohol

 

On teachers & family leave

 

Help for vulnerable Moms in TX

 

Overview: EMDR Therapy

 

What to know about Ketamine

 

Dopamine & Your Brain

 

Stop treating back pain w/ Opioids

 

Good Sighs

 

Mental Imaging

 

Gen Z & MH

 

Coping w/ Grief: Kids

 

More on Social Media & Teens

 

Benefits of Hypnotherapy

 

Emotional labor’s impact on relationships

 

Mindtraps & Unhealthy Relationships

 

On fighting loneliness

 

Fitness vs Losing Weight

 

Self-care for the Summer

 

Intermittent Fasting

 

Rip currents

 

Motherhood & Finances

 

Grandparents: Opioids Crisis & Caregiving

 

Grandparents: Grandternity Leave

 

Workers bargain for hero pay

 

Why are there so many strikes today?

 

CA workers feel emboldened

 

New fed rules may help Miners

 

US Supreme Court & AA college ruling

 

US Supreme Court & Student Debt ruling

 

Biden’s response to Supreme Court & Student Debt (1)

 

Biden’s response to Supreme Court & Student Debt (2)

 

WF Shortage: Car Repair

 

WF Shortage: Military

 

Focus on future job skills

 

Rage applying

 

Loud Quitting

 

Grumpy Staying

 

Working into your 80s

 

What does an aging population mean to an economy?

 

India’s best jobs

 

OSHA Safety Ruling (IL)

 

Vietnam & China: Trafficking women/girls

 

NABTU / Urban League’s National Partnership: Construction Pre-apprenticeships

 

Rural states benefit from improved Internet access

 

Project Enlist: Vets & PTSD / TBI / CTE

 

NFL / Kosar & >100 concussions

 

Upcoming webinars, etc.:

State of the St. Louis Workforce event

 

Outreach Assistance @ STL Co Library

 

Yoga for Pre-K

 

Teens & Conflict Resolution

 

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.

 

July 4, 2023/0 Comments/by Braxton Payne
https://moworksinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/iStock-697895326.jpg 779 1345 Braxton Payne https://moworksinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/missouri-works-initiative-logo-new-1-300x222.png Braxton Payne2023-07-04 19:32:382023-07-04 19:32:38Wellness & Well-being Highlights July 3
Worker Wellness News

Wellness & Well-being Highlights June 26

Wellness & Well-being Highlights

for the

Week of June 26, 2023

This week’s edition of our Worker Wellness & Well-being blog consists of topics from how changes in states’ marijuana policies are posing problems for management to a focus on keeping working teens safe to how yoga can improve your sleep. Today, I wish to shed some light on the issue of work-related stress. The MO AFL-CIO established the MWI’s Worker Wellness Program in an effort to help reduce this very matter. As noted in the report from Canada herein, heavy workloads and the inability to find work-life balance are suspected culprits…even more so for women! Since COVID, many workers have been doing more with less: less staff, less support. As such, stress becomes more common. When “bad” stress consumes our lives (inside and outside of work) we find it difficult to not always be in the “on” mode. As a result, it may be time to step back before you burnout and consider taking a mental health day. Meanwhile, we also need to building and maintaining strong social networks. In so doing, we must learn the importance of forgiving ourselves and others. Experts suggest that this ability to forgive improves the physical and mental health of those around us.

 

Sources: https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-quotidien/230619/dq230619c-eng.htm?utm_campaign=Headlines_062023_CAN&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Eloqua

https://www.everydayhealth.com/emotional-health/signs-you-should-take-a-mental-health-day-and-how-to-do-it/?slot=0&xid=nl_EHNLemohealth_2023-06-19_31834789&utm_source=Newsletters&nl_key=nl_mentalhealth_mooddisorders&utm_medium=email&utm_content=2023-06-19&utm_campaign=Mental_Health_and_Mood_Disorders&utm_term=creativeA&zdee=gAAAAABikG1kcRpju65OYCK7OOXNGPqsAHzj0TznqvuKxOMShKA7dc68seNhy4nsFj67Pyu5gaL7tn3lBuD6s0q5FP0XC2_KARLiqozFs-l0-aoEHEH7qiI%3D

https://www.everydayhealth.com/emotional-health/big-ways-forgiveness-is-good-for-your-health/?slot=0&xid=nl_EHNLemohealth_2023-06-21_31855319&utm_source=Newsletters&nl_key=nl_mentalhealth_mooddisorders&utm_medium=email&utm_content=2023-06-21&utm_campaign=Mental_Health_and_Mood_Disorders&utm_term=creativeA&zdee=gAAAAABikG1kcRpju65OYCK7OOXNGPqsAHzj0TznqvuKxOMShKA7dc68seNhy4nsFj67Pyu5gaL7tn3lBuD6s0q5FP0XC2_KARLiqozFs-l0-aoEHEH7qiI%3D

 

 

What’s behind work-related stress?

 

Jobsite safety matters!

 

988 awareness lags

 

Marijuana & Work

 

Opioids settlement tracker

 

Missouri fact sheet: Opioids settlement

 

7 Days in Arkansas

 

Indonesia / Drug rehab / Slavery

 

Teen wins award: Suicide prevention

 

Teen vaping continues

 

Children / Gun violence / MH

 

Youth workers & Safety/Well-being

 

Youth stressors

 

Kids & Summer boredom

 

COVID & Rise in MH apps

 

Screening ALL adults for anxiety?

 

Vagus nerve & MH

 

How to be happy?

 

Grandparents & Happiness

 

Caring for our elderly

 

When to take a MH day?

 

On building resilience

 

Vets & Yoga

 

Why Tai Chi?

 

Yoga & Sleep

 

Why “forgiveness” matters?

 

Does Ozempic reduce cravings?

 

Drugs & Body positivity

 

Senate targets labor rights

 

Missouri may penalize teachers

 

Starbucks & Pride strike

 

Supreme Court & DEI

 

Youth tests scores drop

 

Skills vs Degree

 

Dechurching

 

AI tools

 

AI: Human vs Machine touch

 

Young adults: Should milestones matter?

 

Homelessness on the rise

 

Force + # of hits = CTE

 

Concussion/CTE prevention protocol

 

Upcoming webinars, etc.:

Adult MHFA

Youth MHFA

https://www.nccih.nih.gov/training/videolectures/kratom-a-botanical-with-traditional-use-in-asia-to-treat-pain-and-opioid-use-problems

https://www.nccih.nih.gov/training/videolectures/change-your-brain-transform-mind

 

 

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 26, 2023/0 Comments/by Braxton Payne
https://moworksinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/iStock-697895326.jpg 779 1345 Braxton Payne https://moworksinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/missouri-works-initiative-logo-new-1-300x222.png Braxton Payne2023-06-26 16:56:522023-06-26 16:56:52Wellness & Well-being Highlights June 26
Worker Wellness News

Wellness & Well-being Highlights June 19

Wellness & Well-being Highlights

for the

Week of June 19, 2023

This week’s edition of our Worker Wellness & Well-being blog consists of topics from Illinois’ top psychiatrist sharing his vision for improving the mental health “system” to how Russia cannot find enough workers due to the exodus related to their invasion of Ukraine…meanwhile, China cannot supply enough jobs for their recent college graduates to how nearly 30% of FATHERS prefer WFH arrangements in order to establish better work-life balance. Today, I wish to shed some light on the issue of peer support in the construction industry. Earlier this past week, STL Public Radio’s “St. Louis on the Air” show provided a full hour coverage on how STL Laborers Locals 42 & 110 are addressing the mental health needs of their members and their dependents. I tip my hat to Don Willey, Diana Marburger, and the Laborers Health & Welfare Trust funds’ trustees for being pioneers in this much-needed space of addiction awareness and suicide prevention. The STL LEAN (Laborers Escaping Addiction Now) model is based on a 24/7/365 program in Massachusetts that has been operating for several years now. My hopes are that other trades and industries design and implement similar programs for their members/workers. In the meantime, let’s also consider how technology may play a part in our outreach efforts.

 

Sources: https://www.constructforstl.org/how-lean-stl-helps-st-louis-laborers-fight-addiction/

https://www.wcbu.org/local-news/2023-06-15/peoria-psychiatrist-outlines-blueprint-for-improving-access-to-mental-health-care-across-illinois

https://www.themoxyvoice.com/moxy-voice/powerful-roundtable-discussion-emphasizes-peer-support-in-the-construction-industry

 

Dr Lancia’s blueprint for improving MH

 

How STL Laborers are providing peer support

 

More on peer support in the construction industry

 

A game changer: Naloxone

 

Harm reduction: MOBILE treatment for opioids

 

Who is fighting the opioids settlement?

 

Where are the opioids settlement funds???

 

Reneging on the opioids settlement!

 

Tranq: Xylazine’s dangers (1)

 

Tranq: Xylazine’s dangers (2)

 

Tranq: Xylazine’s dangers (3)

 

What is Congress doing about Fentanyl’s future?

 

Is Syria a bigger drug dealer than Mexico?

 

More on Meth

 

Vets & Suicide Prevention

 

Are lower levers of alcohol consumption good for you?

 

Banning Snap Chat for younger teens?

 

Noise’s impact on your health

 

Money / Youth / Brain power

 

Your unconscious mind & MH

 

Women & Sleep

 

Knowing your future self

 

A path to happiness

 

NCAA / Marijuana / Athletes

 

Ozempic & Nature’s substitute?

 

Floating & MH

 

Gardening & Exercise

 

Exercises for anywhere

 

The walking workout

 

PRIDE Tool Kit

 

BIPOC MH Tool Kit

 

SIH Workers Comp 2023 Summit

 

Update: West Coast Dockworkers talks

 

UPS workers strike

 

Amazon drivers walkout

 

Wage theft across the USA

 

Violence against teachers on the rise

 

When more hiring = Less work

 

Impact of the 4-day workweek

 

Rethinking our relationship w/ work

 

The office jerk

 

Layoffs & Good employees exiting

 

Russia needs workers

 

China needs jobs

 

On military spouses & transporting their professional licenses

 

Safety issue: Older Pilots

 

Safety issue: Younger kids

 

EEOC / Construction Industry / Discrimination

 

Update: Student loans restart

 

Fathers & Work-Life Balance

 

Upcoming webinars, etc.:

QPR Suicide Prevention

 

Vets & Loneliness

 

Drug OD Prevention (Self-paced courses)

 

SLPL’s Health & Resource Fair

 

 

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 19, 2023/0 Comments/by Braxton Payne
https://moworksinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/iStock-697895326.jpg 779 1345 Braxton Payne https://moworksinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/missouri-works-initiative-logo-new-1-300x222.png Braxton Payne2023-06-19 20:47:332023-06-19 20:47:33Wellness & Well-being Highlights June 19
Worker Wellness News

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, 2023/0 Comments/by Braxton Payne
https://moworksinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/iStock-697895326.jpg 779 1345 Braxton Payne https://moworksinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/missouri-works-initiative-logo-new-1-300x222.png Braxton Payne2023-06-14 14:36:392023-06-14 14:36:39Wellness & Well-being Highlights June 11
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

 

More on dementia

 

Workquake: Today’s new rules?

 

Americans & Free Time

 

Walking & MH

 

Binge eating as a MH issue

 

Mindful Tech

 

Do ALL video games harm kids?

 

Kids / Parents / Social Media

 

Supreme Court / Unions / Strikes (1)

 

Supreme Court / Unions / Strikes (2)

 

LA Strippers Unionize

 

NLRB & Noncompete clauses

 

More are forgoing college

 

Aging out & Construction

 

Canada’s talent shortage?

 

Oakland’s homeless encampment

 

Military & Mold

 

Tech & Tracking your spouse

 

Upcoming webinars, etc.:

MH Screening Tool

 

Business skills for formerly incarcerated

 

Summer’s here – Be prepared (Quiz)

 

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 5, 2023/0 Comments/by Braxton Payne
https://moworksinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/iStock-697895326.jpg 779 1345 Braxton Payne https://moworksinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/missouri-works-initiative-logo-new-1-300x222.png Braxton Payne2023-06-05 13:48:002023-06-05 13:48:00Wellness & Well-being Highlights June 4
Worker Wellness News

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, 2023/0 Comments/by Braxton Payne
https://moworksinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/iStock-697895326.jpg 779 1345 Braxton Payne https://moworksinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/missouri-works-initiative-logo-new-1-300x222.png Braxton Payne2023-05-29 18:08:472023-05-29 18:08:47Wellness & Well-being Highlights May 28
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

 

More on Loneliness

 

Remaining sharp in Retirement

 

MLK: The Christian Radical

 

Scabby the Rat

 

UPMC v Union Nurses

 

Update: Writers’ strike

 

The meaning of “picket”

 

Rage-applying & Employee Well-being

 

Women & Burnout

 

On landing white-collar job

 

The disappearing white-collar job

 

Is a college degree worth it?

 

Funemployment

 

College students’ migration

 

China & College grads

 

Opening doors to foreign workers

 

STL hospitals / Nurses / International recruiting

 

Biden / Diploma divide

 

US students flunk civics

 

Workforce Development & Fraud?

 

How to ID workplace bullies

 

Terrible tips / Happiness

 

Inflation in prisons

 

Poverty in the US: Why?

 

Adults & Community Colleges

 

India / Women / Construction

 

AI’s impact on the workplace

 

When wives out-earn husbands…

 

US Military & Sexual Slavery

 

Upcoming webinars, etc.:

Recovery Friendly Workplaces

 

Building personal resilience

 

Mindful Teen Meditation

 

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 22, 2023/0 Comments/by Braxton Payne
https://moworksinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/iStock-697895326.jpg 779 1345 Braxton Payne https://moworksinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/missouri-works-initiative-logo-new-1-300x222.png Braxton Payne2023-05-22 16:12:292023-05-22 16:12:29Wellness & Well-being Highlights May 21
Worker Wellness News

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

 

More on Loneliness

 

Teens & Screens

 

Tech / Teens/ FOMO

 

Girls / Dance / MH

 

Kids / Plant therapy

 

Outdoors & Anxious teens

 

Workers / MH / Taking time off

 

Post-partum depression & Suicide

 

Happiness & Mental tricks

 

Gun violence & Public Health

 

Diabetes & Debt

 

Baby boomers & Retirement savings

 

When you stop feeling young

 

Youth & Hearing aids

 

Breast PUMP law

 

College: Who needs psychotherapy?

 

Tired of living?

 

More on meditating

 

STL MetroLink & MH

 

Are you a mosquito magnet?

 

STL construction strike

 

Balance of power: Workers & Employers

 

On honoring a Latino General

 

40m US students w/ some college but no degrees

 

Work vs Work-Life Balance

 

VERY few of us are GOOD at multi-tasking

 

Blue collar / Child care / Barriers

 

STL low unemployment rate

 

Influx of youth & Construction industry

 

Will India replace China as the world’s factory floor?

 

1937 Chicago Labor Day Massacre

 

More on Child Labor

 

Upcoming webinars, etc.:

CPWR: Residential Safety

 

UM-Ext: MH Parity Update

 

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 15, 2023/0 Comments/by Braxton Payne
https://moworksinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/iStock-697895326.jpg 779 1345 Braxton Payne https://moworksinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/missouri-works-initiative-logo-new-1-300x222.png Braxton Payne2023-05-15 18:39:362023-05-15 18:39:36Wellness & Well-being Highlights May 14
Worker Wellness News

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

 

More on Child Labor (1)

 

More on Child Labor (2)

 

Missouri’s book banning?

 

Amazon’s affordable healthcare & Privacy?

 

Are nurses flocking back to hospitals?

 

Billboard firm sues Carpenters’ Union

 

Are HS seniors spurning college?

 

Is community college a waste of time?

 

College students / Housing crisis / Trailers

 

NFL & Employment Discrimination

 

KY High School football player dies

 

Upcoming webinars, etc.:

MHFA: Mental Health First Aid

 

QPR: Question, Persuade, Refer (Suicide Prevention Training)

 

Illume MH Training schedule

 

National Suicide Prevention Survey

 

“May is Mental Health Month” Tool Kit

 

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 8, 2023/0 Comments/by Braxton Payne
https://moworksinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/iStock-697895326.jpg 779 1345 Braxton Payne https://moworksinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/missouri-works-initiative-logo-new-1-300x222.png Braxton Payne2023-05-08 16:28:142023-05-08 16:28:14Wellness & Well-being Highlights May 7
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