Worker Wellness News Archives | Page 5 of 20

Wellness & Well-being Highlights July 15

Wellness & Well-being Highlights

for the

Week of July 15, 2024

This week’s edition of our Worker Wellness & Well-being blog offers you a look at how and why some teachers in South Korea are taking their lives—to why the FTC (Federal Trade Commission) thinks that PBMs (Pharmacy Benefit Managers) actually raise (not lower) costs—to how labor may be impacted by AI (artificial intelligence).[1] This week I would like to take this opportunity to encourage readers to closely examine the last section of this blog: Upcoming webinars, etc. There are a number of FREE virtual and in-person trainings.[2] However, in my opinion, the next two parts are equally important.

The IFEBP (International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans) is seeking your input on their Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder survey.[3] The IFEBP has been around for decades with nearly 30k members across the USA and Canada who represent a variety of jointly trusted labor-management funds (i.e., pension, health and welfare, training). Your insights will assist them in in designing and implementing educational programs which assist in ensuring union members and their families are properly represented.

Finally, if you live in or near the STL region, please check out the St. Louis Area Foodbank’s website. It offers a schedule where people in need of food assistance can obtain FREE food. With summer heating up and prices on the rise, some people are making tough choices of whether to pay a utility bill or put food on their table. Please share this information with leaders in your community.

Sources: [1] Labor & AI

[2] QPR Suicide Prevention Training

Suicide Prevention Seminar

Women & Well-being

[3] Mental Health Survey

[4] FREE Food Distribution

Philly Run Club & Recovery

The 4^th Wave: Meth & Coke (Opioid Epidemic)

NA Beverages & Age Limit?

SK / Teachers / Suicide

V Murthy & MH

Work friends & Loneliness

Purdue Pharma / Sacklers / Creditors

Canada / Access / Athletic Therapy

Wellness & Well-being Highlights July 8

Wellness & Well-being Highlights

for the

Week of July 8, 2024

This week’s edition of our Worker Wellness & Well-being blog offers you a look at how a popular “Happiness” professor deals with her mental health—to a current rise in COVID plus views of its after effects—to smattering of US Supreme Court rulings…from “immunity” to OSHA. This week I would like to take this opportunity for you to participate in 2 quizzes: one on ACES (childhood trauma) and the other to see if you handle our kids’ Math. Far too often, some of us tend to pass judgement on issues we are somewhat “removed” from. A few of you may remember me touching on the topic of ACES (Adverse Childhood Experiences) many months ago. Just maybe, if WE took the time to grasp a better handle on how “early” trauma impacts one’s future—as an adult—WE might create some empathy towards others in the workplace and community. The book that changed my mindset on this matter a couple of years ago is “The Body Keeps the Score” by Dr. B. Van Der Kolk. A book that was published in 2014 and yet still appears—for weeks at a time—on the NYT Bestsellers list. ACES have been linked to mental health, toxic stress, and negative coping mechanisms. To be sure, WE cannot ignore one’s upbringing…it is part of one’s DNA. To expect people to “leave issues at the door” is akin to asking a tiger to change its stripes. Bluntly put, how you or I view a situation and/or solve problems is directly linked to who/what we are and how we react. PLEASE take the quiz linked below as the first step in this journey.[1]

Finally, last week a number of reports indicated that our nation’s K-8 students’ test scores have not recovered after COVID…as was hoped for. I think it would behoove all of us to take a step back and dig deeper into this critical matter…our nation’s future! Without a doubt, math (and reading) has been linked to one’s success in life. While school districts across the nation have invested in recovering from learning loss related to the pandemic still more needs to be done. So, once again, empathy plays a major role in our ability to understand what others—often beyond our inner circle—are facing. Therefore, I kindly request that you test your math skills via the related link below.[2] And, join me in opening OUR minds and hearts. Thank you!

Sources: [1] https://www.pathfinder.health/post/ace-quiz

[2] https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/interactive/2024/dc-school-math-quiz/?pwapi_token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJyZWFzb24iOiJnaWZ0IiwibmJmIjoxNzE5ODA2NDAwLCJpc3MiOiJzdWJzY3JpcHRpb25zIiwiZXhwIjoxNzIxMTg4Nzk5LCJpYXQiOjE3MTk4MDY0MDAsImp0aSI6Ijk5MTM2ZGE3LTgwOGYtNDIwZi1hMGY2LTc0Yjk2N2FlOGIzOCIsInVybCI6Imh0dHBzOi8vd3d3Lndhc2hpbmd0b25wb3N0LmNvbS9lZHVjYXRpb24vaW50ZXJhY3RpdmUvMjAyNC9kYy1zY2hvb2wtbWF0aC1xdWl6LyJ9.eZCBL9bOBVI__woP7kKR8kHB5awnszHFqksrBbgQJNw&itid=gfta

Childhood Trauma & The ACES Quiz

How Happiness works?

Rethinking a spouse’s Suicide

High functioning Depression

Protecting workers from HEAT

Wellness & Well-being Highlights July 1

Wellness & Well-being Highlights

for the

Week of July 1, 2024

This week’s edition of our Worker Wellness & Well-being blog offers so much to write about but too little time and space. Here’s my best shot: There was the US Surgeon General’s announcement to elevate our nation’s GUN VIOLENCE as a threat to Public Health—to how a prominent Catholic Church in the west STL county area placed a notice in their weekly bulletin in an attempt to recruit young men for a militia—to how many hospital closings/mergers are not reducing costs as promised. This week I would like to touch on the recent US Supreme Court ruling regarding the Sacklers’ opioids settlement.¹ Many of my blogs over the past 3 years have touched on the negative impact of the US opioids epidemic and how the rich truly got away with murder. No doubt that this ruling will help some while hurting others. Several states and communities have been waiting for the millions of dollars resulting from the proposed settlement to assist them with funding localized prevention, intervention, and postvention programs with sights set on stemming the tide of this scourge. Furthermore, families who have lost members will no longer receive payments tied to their losses.

The greater good of this recent ruling may be difficult for some to understand. After all, in my opinion, it was more about setting a precedent concerning the misuse of our bankruptcy laws going forward than making victims and/or communities whole (I would argue that anyone’s loved one’s life is worth more than $3500 – $48000). To allow a family of billionaires total immunity from future related law suits was a bridge too far for the majority of our Justices. Although the lower court may have agreed that something was better than nothing in moving our nation forward, the supreme court in this land felt otherwise. They did so, having more time to contemplate the ramifications of the settlement on the table. To be sure, it is easy to play armchair quarterback…consider this: A family enriches themselves (via deceitful marketing, etc.) to the tune of $11b since the early 1990s (and moves the bulk of those gains to offshore banks) while over 220 people/day² were dying from opioid overdoses in 2022…but this family is only required to pay $6b for the offense plus walks away from ANY future damages related to their nefarious actions. While I am not a big fan of this far right-leaning court, as for now, I believe they did the right thing!

Sources: [1] https://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/27/us/supreme-court-opioid-settlement.html?unlocked_article_code=1.3E0.IXFb.Pp0XhjtA0d-n&smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare

[2] https://usafacts.org/articles/opioid-addiction-deaths-and-treatment-latest-analysis-data/

Supreme Court on the Homeless

Construction’s Alarming Rate: Suicide

US Surgeon General & Firearm Deaths (1)

US Surgeon General & Firearm Deaths (2)

US Surgeon General & Firearm Deaths (3)

Firearm Violence: Advisory Report

Stats on Gun Shootings

Is Gun Violence a Public Health Crisis?

UN & Nitazenes

Buffalo & Recent OD Deaths

Your PCP & Addiction Treatment

Supreme Court & Opioids Settlement (1)

Supreme Court & Opioids Settlement (2)

Supreme Court & Opioids Settlement (3)

Supreme Court & Opioids Settlement (4)

MO / Rehab / Children & Fentanyl

Working w/ Your Hands & MH

Drs / Saving Mothers / Abortion

Women vs Men: Incarceration

Forever Chemicals & Skin

Healing Crystals & Ethics

Drs / Apple Watch / Personal Metrics

Wellness & Well-being Highlights June 24

Wellness & Well-being Highlights

for the

Week of June 24, 2024

This week’s edition of our Worker Wellness & Well-being blog highlights how our Military system’s mishandling of recent mental health crises has resulted in more suicides—to how heat impacts your brain and why employers need to take action—to the US Surgeon General’s call for placing WARNING labels on social media in an attempt to protect our youngest and most vulnerable citizens…and the pushback to his efforts. This week I would like to discuss the concept of SOCIAL HEALTH. Up to this point in my blog, I have focused on the importance of balancing the PHYSICAL aspects of safety with the MENTAL aspects of safety. This past week, I found an article making the case for moving beyond the above-mentioned binary model. As such, the author, Kasley Killam, posits that while physical health deals with one’s body and mental health is about one’s mind…SOCIAL HEALTH focuses on relationships. I have to say that at first glance this seemed like a sub-topic under the mental health umbrella. However, upon reading the entire article, I admit that Killam is on to something…. Since COVID, there has been a lot said about isolation, loneliness, and the importance of connection. As I reflect on writing my doctoral dissertation nearly 20 years ago, I recall a book that positively impacted my work which was certainly ahead of its time by Robert Putnam: Bowling Alone. It is interesting to see how aspects of Putnam’s book have played out in Killam’s work. A couple of Killam’s finding’s that hit home are (a) over the past 20 years the amount of time people spend alone has increased by 24 hours per month and (b) ~20% of adults in the USA do not have anyone to reach out to for help. This lack of connection has negative effects on our nation’s health as it can increase the risks of strokes by 32%, dementia by 50%, and early death by 29%. Some may say: How does this apply to worker wellness? Research shows that worker loneliness costs the US economy over $400b/year in lost productivity. In the end, connection is not only good for the individual but society as well. Why? Because by maintaining old and/or forming new connections we can create opportunities to develop meaningful and innovative approaches to contemporary issues. Here are 3 SOCIAL HEALTH take-aways that may be worth considering going forward:

While not everyone is lonely…We ALL must spend time with family and friends;
Coping is not enough…We ALL need to flourish and we cannot without meaningful relationships; and
Do NOT wait for a crisis—NOW is the time to act…Be proactive in developing and nurturing your relationships.

Source: https://amp.theguardian.com/wellness/article/2024/jun/14/what-is-social-health

EEOC Guidelines / Harassment / Contractors

US Military & Suicides

Employers / Employees / HEAT

HEAT & Your Brain

Wellness & Well-being Highlights June 17

Wellness & Well-being Highlights

for the

Week of June 17, 2024

This week’s edition of our Worker Wellness & Well-being blog highlights to how there may be a link between hair treatment, race, and cancer—to how efforts are being made to protect workers from this summer’s heat—to more evidence that alcohol can be dangerous. This week I would like to discuss culture. It is no secret that many of our union members (including me) own firearms for sporting purposes. To be clear, I have NEVER felt threatened that the “US Government” was coming to take my firearms from me…whether a R or D was in Office. Like most things in life, there are plusses and minuses. Think cellphones: On one hand, they are great for instantaneously communicating with others around the world; on the other hand, as reported in this blog more than once, experts believe there is a link between teens’ negative mental health and being “addicted” to their cellphones. As such guns are no doubt part of our country’s social fabric. I find it interesting that in states like Wyoming, Montana, and Alaska there is a link between guns and suicides. Thankfully, a MT community is addressing this matter. If you go back a few issues in this blog, I promoted a course called CALM (Conversations on the Access to Lethal Means). This course offers a variety of tools we can use to prevent accidental deaths and suicides. Lock boxes for medications, gun locks, and gun safes are just a few of these measures. Which takes us to the second article. Last week, the US Supreme Court struck down a Trump-era ban on bump stocks…these devices essentially convert a semi-automatic gun into an automatic gun. Having an older brother and sister-in-law who were caught in the crossfire in Las Vegas on October 1, 2017 (THE DEADLIEST MASS SHOOTING IN US HISTORY), I must say that this recent decision is one that leans away from common sense. Allowing a person to operate a firearm as an automatic weapon beyond the battlefield seems senseless to most of the people I have talked to on this issue. Having the highest court in the land support such nonsense while ignoring ethical issues in their own house is nothing short of hypocrisy. Sadly, “speaking with a forked tongue” appears to be the soup du jour in today’s culture!

Source: https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/06/14/bump-stocks-supreme-court-machine-gun-bruen-cargill/

Canada & Workplace MH

Guns / Suicide / MT

STL / Teens / Drug Treatment?

Outdoor Heat Safety

Criminalizing Tiny Homes?

Hair Relaxers / Cancer / Race?

Racism / Depression / Youth

Sadfishing

Is there a correlation between burnout & inclusion?

Wellness & Well-being Highlights June 10

Wellness & Well-being Highlights

for the

Week of June 10, 2024

This week’s edition of our Worker Wellness & Well-being blog highlights how even in one of the most conservative states (FL), there is a harm reduction program assisting people with SUD/OUD—to how some odd versions of cancer have recently emerged since the end of the pandemic—to empirical evidence revealing how heading the ball in soccer is dangerous. This week I would like to discuss a new and exciting program addressing our youth’s mental health crisis. The Youth Mental Health Corps (YMHC) will train and pay peers stipends. A second-order goal of the program is to develop tomorrow’s social workers, therapists, etc. As AmeriCorps was an outgrowth of the Peace Corps nearly 30 years ago, the YMHC follows in AmeriCorps’ path. A major focus of the initial project is on Latino/a/x youth. Reports suggest that nearly ½ of these youth—18 to 25—do not reach out for help. A big issue is that many Latinos feel the effects of discrimination in our society—especially immigrants—and this impacts their self-worth.

Accordingly, I tip my hat to a long-time friend and colleague, Sal Valdez, as he expressed his joy regarding the above mentioned matter earlier this past week. Rightfully so, since he has been a champion of ALL workers of color for years and currently serves as the ECORN-MO chair. In addition, James Pursell, LEAN-STL, Laborer Peer Specialist, sent me as well. He expressed how awesome this specific youth peer project is and hopes to see it grow. This coming from one-half of a local team that has won numerous awards throughout the STL region over the past year for their dedication to brother and sister members and their families struggling with mental health, substance misuse, and suicidal ideation.

How long will it be before other trades, industrial sectors, and non-profits implement creative solutions like YMHC or LEAN-STL? In closing, I paraphrase my buddy, Brandon Anderson (AGC-MO VP Safety), “When it comes to mental health, the time has come…our region needs less talk and more action.”

Source: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/youth-mental-health-corps-rcna155574

A Youth Corps for MH

Harm Reduction in FL?

Narcan in Soulard

Canada’s New Suicide Prevention Plan

MDMA Therapy &PTSD

Gun violence’s footprint

Race / Death / Maternity

Lung cancer / Treatments / Cure?

COVID & Cancer?

Wellness & Well-being Highlights June 3

Wellness & Well-being Highlights

for the

Week of June 3, 2024

This week’s edition of our Worker Wellness & Well-being blog highlights provides yet another twist in the efforts to reduce opioid deaths: Medetomidine…while at the same time dives into how people in NC and CO are responding to the OUD crisis—to the ongoing debate on how to address HEAT in the workplace—to the election of Mexico’s next president…a woman for the first time in their history. This week, as we come to the close of Mental Health month, I would like to discuss how a Cook County sheriff’s department is utilizing virtual technology to provide Mental Health assistance in the field. In a world of what appears to be across the board worker shortages, innovation is key to remaining relevant. Hardly a week goes by where a news story does not mention: 1) the Mental Health needs of a given community or sector and, then, immediately follows up by saying there is a shortage of MH professionals in the US; and 2) another seemingly innocent citizen has been shot by a police officer. As noted, police are not the best qualified to help someone with a MH crisis. Yet, nearly 1 in 4 deadly law enforcement shootings involves a person with a serious mental illness. This is why and how the CVAP (co-responder virtual assistance program) comes into play. De-escalation is key to keeping ALL parties safe. In fact, the use of a police-provided tablet to connect a person requiring assistance with a MH counselor in real time not only protects the counselor but allows for a more efficient use of this counselor’s time to handle additional calls. While one may argue that in-person encounters may be more effective, we must keep in mind that ~40% of people in the US live in an area with a shortage of MH professionals…especially when it comes to rural and economically-stressed urban areas. Recent stats show that nearly 60% of CVAP calls were related to MH and >20% involved SUDs. More importantly, the CVAP was used 650 times in 2021 without a resulting arrest or use of force!

Source: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/mental-health-counselors-911-sheriff-virtual-solution/

Women / Vets / Homelessness

Construction Work & Road Safety

Medetomidine: The New Fentanyl OD Culprit

KUSH & Sierra Leone

>300k US Children Lost Parents to ODs

CO high school students & ODs

NC’s fight against opioid ODs

Harm Reduction + Clean Needles = Illegal?

Sheriff / MH Counselors / Technology

PTSD & Canadians

American Workers & Loneliness

Vets / CO / Gun Safes

Stress & Personality

How to stop checking your phone?

Deadly HEAT in the Workplace

Wellness & Well-being Highlights May 27

Wellness & Well-being Highlights

for the

Week of May 27, 2024

This week’s edition of our Worker Wellness & Well-being blog highlights an AI-based suicide prevention program for Vets that uses an algorithm that fails to take into account the sexual harassment/trauma female soldiers have experienced—to the importance our workers’ financial wellness regarding both mind and body—to how & why Mexican cartels have turned inward to now extort Mom & Pop tortilla shops. This week I would like to discuss the 2 breaking articles pertaining to Fentanyl in the USA. In the first article, the author eluded to the fact that related overdose deaths in 2023 were down from the year before…so, therefore, Fentanyl deaths in the US have peaked.¹ He went on the say, “The opioid epidemic appears to have entered that final phase.” On so many levels this is a misguided assumption. First and foremost, while this author did indicate that Narcan played a significant role in the aforementioned decrease, he totally missed acknowledging the advent of the 4^th Wave of the US Opioids Crisis: Polysubstances (I wrote about the “4 Waves” just a few weeks ago in this blog). The second article provides us with a different perspective by suggesting that related youth overdose deaths are actually increasing.² These authors posit that Fentanyl-related deaths for children 12-17 yo have doubled since the start of COVID. Experts point to the easy access of “fake” pills plus pandemic isolation/trauma^{3, 4} as culprits in this spike. Fortunately, schools are stocking Narcan and teaching people in the community about the dangers of Fentanyl. Unfortunately, many doctors are ill-prepared to counsel these younger patients on opioid misuse. In the DC area alone, Hispanics make up 40% of these visits. NOTE: While White teens comprise most of the opioid-related deaths nationwide, Black and Hispanic teens are now dying at a faster rate. If one buys into the notion that adolescence is about pushing boundaries and experimentation then it is incumbent upon those of us who are older and wiser not forget the new adage: ONE PILL CAN KILL.

Sources: [1] https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/21/briefing/has-fentanyl-peaked.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare

[2] https://wapo.st/3wQENC8

[3] https://www.relias.com/resource/racial-trauma-understanding-race-based-traumatic-stress?utm_source=pardot&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=7013w000002HbayAAC

[4] https://go.timelycare.com/l/916941/2024-05-17/t52m2/916941/1715969310eIvUsRm1/Report_Call_For_Campus…

Vets / Suicide Prevention / AI

Youth / Hmong / Suicide

Youth OD Deaths & Fentanyl

US Fentanyl Deaths: Update

Employers / Safety / SUD / Workers

Cannabis or Alcohol?

Cannabis / Seniors / Poisonings

A Tie-dyed Trip

Race-based Trauma

Mental Disorders & Teens

Financial Wellness (1)

Financial Wellness (2)

Financial Therapy: Handling Money & The Mind

Birdwatching & MH

Coping w/ Anxiety

Agreeing to Disagree

Anger’s damage: Mental & Physical

“Period Poverty” Awareness

AI & Skin Cancer

Report on Student Loneliness

How to Cook Cicadas

Disneyland’s Union Actors

Held hostage: Hospitals / Unions / Insurance Plans

Boilermakers’ corruption

BMW/VW & Forced Labor?

Mexico / Cartels / Tortillas

What ALL workers want?

Ukraine & Women in the workforce

Women in construction (1)

Women in construction (2)

Why double-major in college?

Paying for friendships?

Chocolate turmoil (1)

Chocolate turmoil (2)

Paid College Athletes?

TBIs & Family Decisions

Upcoming webinars, etc.:

Sleep Hygiene

Student Loneliness

FREE Diaper Distribution

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 21, 2024/by Missouri Works Initiative

Worker Wellness News

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