Worker Wellness News Archives | Page 4 of 18

Wellness & Well-being Highlights May 13

Wellness & Well-being Highlights

for the

Week of May 13, 2024

This week’s edition of our Worker Wellness & Well-being blog highlights whether or not smartphones are causing anxiety in teens and negatively impacting the attention span of adults—to how some communities welcome immigrants while others reject them…in spite of a worker shortage—to how the renaming of schools is retraumatizing citizens in a VA school district. This week I want to focus on the activities and input from an array of local construction contractors who are leading by example when it comes to their workers’ Mental Health…after all, May is Mental Health Awareness month! Last week we saw Holland Construction Services sponsor an all-day (free) event at the campus of SIUE. It was refreshing to see their CEO open and close the day with meaningful messages plus a commitment to continue the work beyond last Tuesday.[1] One highlight of the event was hearing from my friend, Mandi Kime, Safety Director of AGC Washington. Her personal story regarding mental health as a single mother of 4, was nothing short of inspiring. I am always intrigued by people who use their “private” struggles to help benefit others. In this case, Mandi shared how she focused her master’s degree thesis on mental health in the construction industry. As a result, WE now have access to one of the best (free) online short courses pertaining to suicide prevention in the construction industry.[2] If you have not taken this ~1 hour course, I highly encourage you to do so and PLEASE share the link with your networks. Once again, I tip my hat to Mandi for sharing her personal journey of tragedy to triumph! On another note, an old friend, Thom Kuhn, shares the lasting impact of his journey with mental health on his family and company.[3] Finally, Jenn and Maggie at SM Wilson are doing their part ensuring that May is not the ONLY month our industry shines a spotlight on Mental Health.[4]

In closing, COVID unintentionally aided in normalizing the once-taboo topic of Mental Health in our industry. As we can see from the 3 local industry leaders above, it is time to “Walk the Talk.” Often, the first step in a journey is the most difficult…especially when we are expected to swim in unfamiliar waters. That is why WE need to provide access to programs to assist YOU in joining us in our efforts to move this work forward. To this end, PLEASE consider joining us this Wednesday for the first of a three-part seminar (free) series on mental health, suicide prevention, and substance use awareness.[5]

I hope to see you soon!

Sources: [1] https://www.constructforstl.org/got-a-minute-save-a-life-message-from-hollands-mental-health-symposium/

[2] https://intheforefront.org/preventing-suicide-in-the-construction-industry/

[3] https://www.constructforstl.org/thom-kuhn-when-mental-health-strikes-home/

[4] https://www.constructforstl.org/mental-health-in-construction-how-an-industry-is-coming-together-to-help/

[5] https://www.constructforstl.org/free-programs-offer-path-to-mental-health-culture-for-construction/

MH / Construction / Leadership

MH / Construction / Leader (1)

MH / Construction / Leader (2)

MH / Construction / Leader (3)

Employees expect Employers to invest in well-being

Employers / MH / Digital Tool Kits

NYC Construction Deaths

NYC Subway / Homeless / MH

MH & Lawyer’s Journey

Prison & MH

Smartphones / Teens / Anxiety?

Smartphones & Attention Span

Loneliness & Life Span

Loneliness & Dementia

Contractor adopts Narcan policy

Opioids & >300k Orphans

Opioids / Families / Compassion

Fentanyl / Child Deaths / Investigations

Clearing out an Open Air Drug Market

How will Psychedelics impact the Workplace?

A cure for Sickle Cell?

Cancer/ Family / p53 Gene

Pregnancy & The Brain

Women / Work / Happiness?

Miss USA Resigns

Wellness & Well-being Highlights May 6

Wellness & Well-being Highlights

for the

Week of May 6, 2024

This week’s edition of our Worker Wellness & Well-being blog highlights the issues faced by the number of adolescents who are caring for their parents and/or grandparents…which may impede their growth in education and socialization—to how to prepare for and obtain healthy sleeping habits—to the importance of taking the stairs v riding the elevator. This week I would like to focus on the issue of money laundering. Anyone who has read more than 2 editions of this weekly blog knows that I have 3 goals: destigmatizing Mental Health, providing awareness and actions regarding the opioids crisis, and preventing suicides at home and in the workplace. It is no secret that when more and more states legalized marijuana for medicinal and recreational purposes, we put a dent in the Mexican cartels’ revenue stream. Being shrewd business people, they turned to a new, easier to produce, and more addictive (and deadly) products to recapture those losses: first heroin and then fentanyl. A recent news story indicates that a Canadian bank allegedly laundered those profits back to Chinese suppliers…the ones that still provide the precursor chemicals to the Mexican cartels. In turn, they make Fentanyl and then distribute it thru their US networks. A few decades ago, for a short time, I worked as a labor liaison for the UBCJA in Mexico. Many of meals were shared with Mexican contractors. Often, our conversations turned towards the issue of supply and demand. A quote from one of those in attendance never veers far from my mind: “If US consumers would stop using illegal drugs (demand) Mexico would stop sending them north” (supply). If it were only that simple! The fact is that >70% of the US people who began to use heroin for the first time started their journey by means of a legal prescription for opioids.

Here’s a brief overview of the “waves” related to the opioids crisis in the USA:

1^st wave: overprescribing of legal opioids (mainly for chronic pain v its intended use: acute pain)

[early 1990s to ~2002]

2^nd wave: users turning to heroin to feed their need (since the feds put doctors on notice regarding monitoring the number of Rx they issue…thus placing their license to practice in jeopardy)

[~2003 to ~2012]

3^rd wave: Fentanyl (a synthetic opioid that is 50-100x more powerful than heroin…much easier to produce and distribute than heroin)

[~2012 to ~2016]

4^th wave: Polysubstances (mixing Fentanyl into non-opioids such as meth, cocaine, and Xylazine. NOTE: While Narcan has a good track record saving lives…it cannot reverse a non-opioid overdose. Therefore, rescue breathing skills are vital.)

[~2016 to present]

Without a doubt, there are many players who—intentionally or unintentionally—created the mess our nation currently faces. Like with most aspects of our lives, it would be irresponsible to blame one group or the other (i.e. doctors, Big Pharma, Congress, cartels, etc.). As you will find in the article linked below, institutions that handle large sums of money have played a significant part as well!

Source: https://www.wsj.com/articles/td-bank-probe-tied-to-laundering-of-illicit-fentanyl-profits-aae71243?st=kkcewja2kqgg6es&reflink=article_gmail_share

When children care for parents

Vets / Families / Trauma

Today’s POW & Trauma

DOJ & Marijuana

Govts sit on Opioids Settlements

Ensuring Psychological Safety @ Work

Healthy Sleep

Wellness & Well-being Highlights April 29

Wellness & Well-being Highlights

for the

Week of April 29, 2024

This week’s edition of our Worker Wellness & Well-being blog highlights how next month’s college grads have experienced turmoil from pandemic to protests—to how a world-renowned consulting firm is being held accountable for its part in the US opioids crisis—to how employment-related non-compete clauses are being challenged since they tend to limit a worker’s freedom of movement in the marketplace. This week I would like to focus on the recently released report from the AFL-CIO: Death on the Job. This is the 33^rd edition of a report that is published for the benefit of ALL workers: union and non-union…white- and blue-collar. Since the passing of the OSH Act one-half century ago, nearly 700,000 workers lives have been saved. This means of transparency serves as a tool to inform the “public” regarding workplace injuries, illnesses, and deaths. Let’s face it, since 1970, business-friendly administrations in DC have found ways to limit the effectiveness of OSHA—from flat-funding and understaffing to lobbying for weaker rules (and penalties) that place workers at various levels of risk. We cannot ignore the facts, in 2022: over 100,000 workers died from occupational diseases; >40 died from heat-related issues; and workplace homicides and suicides, overdoses, and violence-injuries all increased from 2021. To be sure, we must pay closer attention in ensuring the safety of Black and Latino workers as well as our Older and Younger workers on the job. How is this possible with only 1 OSHA inspector for every ~80,000 workers? It is incumbent upon each of us to get educated. Reading the report linked below is a great place to start. The need to properly staff OSHA requires your input at the local, state, and national levels. However, this is just the beginning. Among a host of other issues, a robust system also requires adequate reporting in order to properly address hazards in a timely manner. In closing, workers should not fear retaliation for reporting unsafe workplace conditions. Simply put…Is it too much to ask that workers come home each day unharmed?

Source: https://aflcio.org/reports/dotj-2024?link_id=2&can_id=71c1079675e0cff5353ba02e01be98ef&source=email-dotj-version-b&email_referrer=email_2294320&email_subject=death-on-the-job

Construction Workers & Fall Safety

Death on the Job Report

Mind the Workplace Report

2024 National Strategy: Suicide Prevention

Class of 2024: From Anxiety to Anger

College Students & Self-Care

Why are women leaving employers?

Mental Stim / Work / Dementia

Stress & Lowering Cortisol

Weed & Withdrawal

McKinsey / Opioids / Crime

Where have the Opioids settlement funds gone?

Drugs / Tripping / Workplace

Testing / THC / Impairment

Wellness & Well-being Highlights April 22

Wellness & Well-being Highlights

for the

Week of April 22, 2024

This week’s edition of our Worker Wellness & Well-being blog highlights how the US continues to work with China to stem the tide of Fentanyl-related deaths—to the impact of poor sleep habits on your fellow workers—to how a topic I recently covered cannot find a way to stay out of our national news: Guns (i.e., safety training, violence, and suicides). This week I would like to focus on the UAW’s big win down South…in spite of the ANTI-UNION rhetoric from a chorus of nearby “Henny-Penny” governors. So, why would a so-called leader NOT want his/her constituents to make more money and, thus, have better lives? Maybe you should ask them this question before sending a child off to college in one of their states? From another angle, do the governors from Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas discriminate when it comes to you spending your hard-earned (out-of-state) dollars while vacationing there? So, what’s in common between these 6 states? They are all Right-to-Work (for less) states. In 1947, Taft-Hartley provided a pathway for the Deep South to continue their mistreatment of workers. Today, this same outdated law prevents many unions—that recently won elections—from negotiating and settling a first contract. The PRO Act is designed to update a number of built-in faults. The candidate you support in 2024 will make a difference in improving ALL workers’ lives. In closing, consider these words from WWII:

First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a socialist.

Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a trade unionist.

Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—because I was not a Jew.

Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.

—Martin Niemöller

Sources: https://www.wsj.com/business/autos/vw-factory-tennessee-union-results-uaw-00cbeffb?st=ubb5gxbi78hido3&reflink=article_gmail_share

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/uaw-vw-chattanooga-tennessee/

https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2024/04/american-labor-movement-unions-support/678099/

Heat Stress & Cranes

Navy / Suicides / Verbal Hugs

Chronic Illness & Grief

China’s direct connection to US Fentanyl ODs

Portland / Homeless / Tranq Dope

Guns & School Safety

Gun violence & Training

Guns are linked to >50% of US Suicides

MN schools / MH / Overwhelmed system

>66% of telehealth claims = MH

Sleep & Depression

Sleep & Employees

MH & Medicaid?

Wellness & Well-being Highlights April 15

Wellness & Well-being Highlights

for the

Week of April 15, 2024

This week’s edition of our Worker Wellness & Well-being blog highlights how AI is being designed to assist in the field of mental health therapy—to why people in their 40s need to begin now to help prevent dementia in their 60s—to how a “non-traditional” recruit has leveraged her eclectic background in order to secure her “rightful” place in the STL construction industry. This week I would like to focus on the new CDC report indicating that the Suicide Rate for 2022 was the highest since 1941…a 3% increase from the year prior. Please note that well over 50% of these deaths were related to firearms and nearly 14% linked to drug poisonings. In a previous blog I wrote about the importance of controlling the access to lethal means. Whether it is a gun lock or a lockbox for prescription drugs, it would do us well as a society to become more informed on this vital life & death matter (See: https://www.saferhomescollaborative.org/).

In addition, rates of suicide for specific populations have increased (i.e., College Athletes: in past 20 years, from 7.6% to 15.3%). Of related interest, health care professionals are reporting rates of burnout and depression nearing 50%. While suicide is the leading cause of death for male physician residents, it remains more common among female physicians vs female non-physicians.

It is important to remember that a death by suicide should NEVER be based on one factor. Demographics, culture, and trauma are just a few important risk factors…not to mention the lingering effects of COVID (i.e., social isolation/loneliness, underserved populations, etc.) as well as a workforce shortage.

The good news is that more and more organizations, across various industrial sectors, are realizing the importance of trying approaches that veer from traditional pathways. Whether it is researchers designing an app that utilizes artificial intelligence to overcome barriers in order to assist those in need of treatment/guidance or a Police Department working with a local behavioral health agency in an effort to reduce fatal law enforcement encounters, the message is clear:

Less TALK, more ACTION.

Sources: https://www.cbs.com/shows/video/zpgz6gxWBXDzun8djJm5lS5auOjqjxsa/

https://muextbusinessand1.podbean.com/e/journeyintobuildingtrade/

https://www.psychiatrictimes.com/view/a-year-of-record-high-suicide-rates?ekey=RUtJRDo0ODgyNTJFMC0yNkNBLTQzMEUtQkQxQS1DNTNEODcxREU3NDQ%3D&utm_campaign=emailname&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=302215186&utm_source=hs

https://www.stlpr.org/law-order/2024-04-12/st-louis-team-of-purple-shirts-diverts-police-intervention

MH benefits of the solar eclipse

National Suicide Rate Increases

Student-athlete Suicide Rates Double

Clinicians & Suicide

911: Overstressed & Underpaid

Teens / Parents / College & Anxiety

AI & MH

Purple Shirts: STL Police MH Intervention

Future of Psychedelic Therapy?

Toxic: Bullying & Bystanders

Can Labor & Mgt reform HC?

A state’s secure MH facility

Do YOU need therapy?

Reducing Loneliness

Wellness & Well-being Highlights April 8

Wellness & Well-being Highlights

for the

Week of April 8, 2024

This week’s edition of our Worker Wellness & Well-being blog highlights how a construction industry heavyweight made a 5-year commitment towards suicide prevention—to whether or not technology was/was not used to inflict brain injuries upon various US govt workers—to a topic I visited a couple of months ago regarding the improvements made concerning head protection in the construction industry. This week I would like to highlight the rise in alcohol consumption especially for those over 65. COVID is often blamed for this increase of substance misuse. The fact is that between 2020-21, according to the CDC, there were more deaths related to alcohol (~178k) than all drug overdoses combined! People over 65 were linked to 38% of that aforementioned total. There are many layers to this onion to unpeel but it is worth mentioning a few: in general, people are living longer; alcohol is viewed as a social “lubricant”; binge drinking is on the rise; and there more women in the workforce than decades ago. To be sure, we cannot ignore the data before us:

older bodies cannot process alcohol as quickly;
besides being affiliated with liver disease, alcohol is also linked to an increase in heart and cancer-related issues;
while alcohol misuse exacerbates cognitive decline, it can also impede sleep, reaction time, and balance…contributing to falls; and
alcohol interacts negatively with an array of prescription drugs…at times resulting in over-sedation.

The NYT article linked below advocates for the elimination of barriers for treatment noting that while the Mental Health Parity law of 2008 includes access to treatment for substance use disorders, Medicare does not apply. Having recently turned 65, I reflect on this topic with +45 years of experience. I am encouraged to see that this matter is being taken seriously as more and more conferences are holding mocktail events and/or “Friends of Bill” meetings as part of their agenda. So, here’s my ask: Let’s all do our part to NOT put vulnerable people into questionable venues for the sake of “conducting business” as usual.

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/30/health/seniors-alcohol-consumption.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare

Bechtel donated $7m to AFSP for Construction Suicide Prevention efforts

Operating Engineers focus on Mental Health

Urgent Care & MH

Psychological Safety in the Workplace

Medicare/Medicaid & MH

TX Judge & MH

UK Teachers & Suicide Prevention

A Sense of Purpose?

Seniors & Alcohol Consumption

Siblings / Caring / Brain

Time & Balance

Time & Friendships

Supporting Someone w/ Anxiety Disorder

Floatation Therapy & Anxiety Disorders

ROI & Well-being Tools

MH & The Sandwich Generation

Dementia & Memories

Memory / Art / Trauma

Dogs / Breath / Trauma

On taking Multivitamins

On Turmeric’s benefits

Napping @ Work?

Dangerous Meditation?

Update: Table Saw Safety

Havana Syndrome & Brain Injuries (1)

Havana Syndrome & Brain Injuries (2)

Head Protection Improvements (1)

Head Protection Improvements (2)

Head Protection Improvements (3)

States Undercutting Fed Child Labor Laws

OSHA Inspection Final Walkaround Rule

Dartmouth / NCAA / Players Union

Amazon’s Anti-Union $pending

AI & Labor

On being indispensable

UK coming for US white-collar jobs

WCK & Gaza/Israel Disaster

How much is needed in one’s savings to retire?

Gen Z & Trades

Is college worth $100k/year?

Upcoming webinars, etc.:

Work & Recovery

Pilot Funding for RFW

Safer Homes (CALM) Training

Resiliency during Financial Strain

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 9, 2024/by Dr. John Gaal

Worker Wellness News

Wellness & Well-being Highlights April 1

Wellness & Well-being Highlights

for the

Week of April 1, 2024

This week’s edition of our Worker Wellness & Well-being blog highlights how Metal Health stigma is now being referred to as “silent discrimination”—to how loneliness is affecting workers—to the need to comprehend the human and economic impacts of the Key Bridge collapse in Baltimore. This week I would like to highlight the unintended consequences of sports gambling. In spite of Pete Rose’s MLB betting scandal several years ago, a 2018 US Supreme Court decision paved the way for the ubiquitous online gambling at the college and professional levels that we see today. Whether it is a pitcher’s interpreter skimming funds or players shaving points to cover their own debts, since this blog focuses on worker wellness, I would be remiss not to mention that gambling can be addictive—not much different than alcohol or cocaine—because it triggers the part of our brain that releases dopamine…also known as the “pleasure” hormone! As I explained in a previous blog, contemporary science suggests that the young adult brain does not fully form until one is 25 years old. As such, I think the WSJ article linked below serves as the canary in the coal mine. Why? Allowing an addictive habit to enter our college campuses for the sake of making money to offset administrative expenses may—in the long run—end up being more detrimental to our society than the current student loan debacle. Case in point, please consider how “prop” bets have changed the nature of merely betting on a game. Not to mention, if fed and state legislators do not soon install much-needed guard rails (i.e., disallowing players to bet on their own sport, coaches & staff banned/jailed for leaking inside info, etc.), sports we currently trust to be “unscripted” will eventually sink to a level of believability to that of the WWE.

Sources: https://www.pbctoday.co.uk/news/hr-skills-news/understanding-silent-discrimination-construction-industry/133333/

https://www.thesafetymag.com/ca/topics/safety-and-ppe/why-loneliness-is-a-top-health-concern-for-workers/483004?utm_medium=email&utm_source=rasa_io&utm_campaign=newsletter

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/baltimore-bridge-collapse-growing-latino-labor-force-hispanics-rcna145201

https://www.wsj.com/sports/ohtani-sports-gambling-scandal-927fdd22?st=jhrubw434xvfe1k&reflink=article_gmail_share

Homeless & Mentally Ill

Canadians & MH

Construction / Stigma = Silent Discrimination

UK / Construction / MH

Are “clean needle” programs legal?

“Open Air” MH treatment?

Does Workplace Wellness work?

Workers & Loneliness

Loneliness / Personality / Time

Coping w/ Anxiety, Anger, Fear…

Improving Emotional Intelligence

Vagus Nerve & Emotional Health

Dementia: Diabetes / Pollution / Alcohol

Glucose Monitor

Chronic Illness & Grief

Speed Marriage Therapy?

Is cinnamon dangerous?

Backlash: Sports Gambling

Sports Gambling & Rose

Sports Gambling & Ohanti

Smartphones & Children

MO high school & RFW

Construction / Phoenix / Heat

NFL: New Kickoff Rule

On making sports SAFER for kids

Key Bridge Collapse

Baltimore bridge & Legal fight ahead

Latinos & Bridge

Port Workers & Bridge

UAW & VW (1)

UAW & VW (2)

Boeing’s Union wants a Seat

Contractors & Back Wages

New Census Categories (1)

New Census Categories (2)

Cesar Chavez & Workers Rights

Single Women & Retirement

Future of St. Louis Metro Police?

Chicago & Pre-Apprenticeships

STL Co Jail & Beauty Shop Training

Increasing K-12 absences

Upcoming webinars, etc.:

Loneliness (Free)

Denver Zoo & MH for vets, etc.

MHA MH Tool Kit

MN MH Tool Kit

Update: NSC Narcan Training

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 1, 2024/by Missouri Works Initiative

Worker Wellness News

Wellness & Well-being Highlights March 25

Wellness & Well-being Highlights

for the

Week of March 25, 2024

This week’s edition of our Worker Wellness & Well-being blog highlights how some Spring Break locations are providing Narcan to guests in order to address the opioid crisis—to how loneliness and isolation continue to impact our societies long after COVID—to how immigration is actually helping the US economy (by filling low wage jobs) vs that of our Asian counterparts where birth rates have steadily dropped. This week I would like to highlight the deluge of reports regarding the topic of HAPPINESS. Whether its comparing cultures, genders, or age groups, in most cases, the Nordic countries appear to hold most of these cherished top slots. Issues to consider:

1) While the reasons for this may be as difficult to count as hairs on one’s head, I cannot help but reflect on my experience visiting a trade show booth at the World Skills Contest in Germany during the summer of 2013. As I approached the Finland’s booth, I noticed a booklet on how their secondary vocational educational system integrates Mental Health trainings into their coursework. This reassured me that the path the Carpenters in St. Louis recently undertook indeed had merit (We implemented an online Financial Literacy course as a launching point to address broader Mental Health issues in the construction industry);

2) The US dropped out of the top 20 ranking. Why? Mostly due to the dip in happiness reported among people under 30; and

3) While women report to be happier—in general—they, at the same time, report to be more distressed—day-to-day–vs men.

Upon further inspection, one may find that a “culture”—at home and work—may hold the secrets to the Nordic’s success. One where “win at ALL costs” (mostly driven by age-old paternal structures) has been replaced by caring and cooperation!

Sources: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/20/us/world-happiness-report-finland-us.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare

https://www.wsj.com/lifestyle/relationships/why-arewomen-both-sadder-and-happier-than-men-4ffe1ba4?st=5nqgoak2u5jlgf4&reflink=article_gmail_share

Spring Break & Narcan

Female Happiness Paradox

Youth & Happiness (1)

Youth & Happiness (2)

Culture & Happiness

Finland & Happiness (1)

Finland & Happiness (2)

Canada & Happiness

Income & Children’s Brains

Adult Children & Drug Misuse

Mislabeled HEMP Products

Climate Change & Anxiety

Canada’s Workers & Isolation

Exercise & Isolation

Midlife Loneliness

Gambling addiction

Online Therapy & Insurance?

Wellness & Well-being Highlights March 18

Wellness & Well-being Highlights

for the

Week of March 18, 2024

This week’s edition of our Worker Wellness & Well-being blog highlights challenges (one from The White House and the other regarding First Responders) both concerning the opioids crisis—to how some online gaming sites provide venues to exploit vulnerable children—to how domestic violence has now been recognized as the leading cause of traumatic brain injuries. This week we have an opportunity to examine a recently released report on the State of the World’s Mental Health of its internet-enabled global population. It appears that the decline in MH, across the 71 countries studied, which began pre-COVID, continued through 2021 and mainly remains stagnant. With a 15-minute anonymous survey, these authors examine the concept of mental well-being which “inherently reflects an individual’s sense of how their inner state impacts their ability to function within their life context.” Key findings: MH challenges are linked to the younger the age of cell phone ownership and increased intake of ultra-processed foods; and the wealth of a nation does not equate to better well-being (Note: UK and Australia ranked 2^nd and 6^th to last, respectively, and the Dominican Republic and USA ranked 1^st and 29^th, respectively). Interestingly, another article this week touches on how what we eat negatively impacts our MH, sleep, and learning. Apparently, ultra-processed foods hit our brain’s reward system not unlike alcohol and addictive drugs. In fact, scientists have found that people who eat high-fat, high-sugar snacks also had changes in how their brains learned. In addition, such a diet is linked to increased anxiety and depression which may result in a proposed call for inclusion of new MH disorder: ultra-processed food use disorder. As I reflect, maybe there was something to that saying I heard back in the 1970s: You are what you eat!

Sources: https://mentalstateoftheworld.report/2023_read/

https://www.wsj.com/health/wellness/ultra-processed-food-brain-health-7a3f9827

State of World’s MH

The UK is not a happy place

White House & OD Challenge

EMTs & Curbing Opioid ODs (1)

EMTs & Curbing Opioid ODs (2)

Blackpool’s Deaths of Despair

Alaska / Friends / Suicides

Ukraine / PTSD / Psychedelics

Workplace Safety: More than just policies

Audit / Psychological Safety / Employees

UN / Deaths / Children

Gaming / Kids / Torture

Kids & Artificial Turf

Students / Delta 8 / Public Health

Hospitals & Maternal Care?

MO / Infections / Babies

Whales & Menopause

Parents / Adult Kids / Finances

Weight Training / Heart Disease / Longevity

Wellness & Well-being Highlights March 11

Wellness & Well-being Highlights

for the

Week of March 11, 2024

This week’s edition of our Worker Wellness & Well-being blog offers an opportunity to examine several articles citing the barriers/challenges women continue to face in the “modern” workplace—to how sleep apnea impacts one’s cognition—to which US jobs are considered the most “physically” demanding. Today, I wish to shed some light on the importance of EACH and EVERY ONE of US taking action. Since 2016, a lot has been written and discussed about mental health issues in the workplace. This week we provide access to a just-published White Paper on MH, addiction awareness, and suicide prevention in the US construction industry.[1] In addition, this week we saw a renowned worldwide construction contractor make a SEVEN MILLION DOLLAR donation to help reduce suicides in the construction industry. [2] While the White Paper “speaks” to the MH needs of an industry, the donation to AFSP addresses the “action” step noted earlier. Needless to say, most of us do not have these kinds of monetary resources to make impactful changes. Nevertheless, as mentioned in last week’s blog, each of us can take 5-minutes to provide a constructive comment to the US-DOL.[3] In so doing, you will become part of a process to change the rules Registered Apprenticeship Programs (RAP) abide by…which have NOT been seriously updated since 1937! So, PLEASE join me in taking “action” by submitting a brief comment that supports the inclusion of Mental Health training in US-DOL’s RAP standards going forward.

NOTE: The DEADLINE is MARCH 18, 2024 @ 5p (ET).

Sources: [1] https://static1.squarespace.com/static/58b628c217bffc493333bbfd/t/65e07a384c7529463d428243/1709210172801/20240229-CWM-White-Paper-FINAL.pdf

[2] https://www.constructiondive.com/news/bechtel-suicide-construction-pledge/709385/?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Issue:%202024-03-06%20Construction%20Dive%20Newsletter%20%5Bissue:59795%5D&utm_term=Construction%20Dive

[3] https://www.constructforstl.org/perspective-please-comment-on-need-for-mental-health-training-in-apprentice-programs/

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