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Wellness & Well-being Highlights February 17th

Work life balance

Wellness & Well-being Highlights

for the

Week of Feb 17, 2025

This week’s edition of our Worker Wellness & Well-being blog looks at how a doctor in Africa created a Peer Support model to address Mental Health issues—to a series of articles exploring the dangers of gambling…more specifically, sports betting—to how cuts in Washington, DC may negatively impact research…more specifically, cancer research. This week I would like to take this opportunity to touch on Missouri Senate Bill 74.1

 

While SB 74 mainly would bar cities and counties from imposing their own open carry restrictions, in my opinion, any attempt to lessen gun restrictions poses danger for those in crisis. Consider this: Over the past 20 years, Missouri has seen a ~60% increase in suicide deaths.2 This rate was greater than that of the US during this timeframe. Since gun-related suicides have made up over 50% of those deaths, we should take any and all precautions to keep our citizens safe from self-harm. As a matter of fact, “…in 2020, gun-related suicides surpassed poisoning and suffocation for the first time among women, and have continued to rise since then.”3 One way to move these numbers in the opposite direction is to limit the access to firearms. Awareness and education do NOT seem to be enough!

 

To this end, St. Louis University will be holding a seminar on this very topic on Friday (Feb 21).4  To be clear, this event does NOT solely focus on restricting access to firearms. Based on the CALM (Conversations on the Access to Lethal Means) training model, this SAFER training session will address how you and I can take actions to reduce the access to a multitude of lethal means…including but not limited to medications, sharp objects, bridge netting, etc. Come join us in becoming part of the solution vs remaining part of the problem!

 

Sources: [1]https://www.stlpr.org/government-politics-issues/2025-02-11/missouri-senators-consider-removing-several-firearm-restrictions

[2] https://usafacts.org/answers/how-many-people-die-by-suicide/state/missouri/

[3]https://www.nytimes.com/2024/09/26/well/mind/suicide-guns-women.html

[4]https://billpay.slu.edu/C20197_ustores/web/product_detail.jsp?PRODUCTID=2471

 

Community Peer Support: The Friendship Bench

 

First Responders / Stress / Burnout

 

Addressing Chronic Illness @ Work

 

More on Workers & Chronic Illness

 

Older Workers & Financial Stress

 

Update on Grieving

 

Caseworkers & Burnout

 

Ozempic & Curbing Alcohol

 

How Gambling Impacts All of Us

 

Caution: Sports Betting

 

More on Betting Addiction

 

Super Bowl Betting

 

Caution: Black Market Weed

 

Tackling the Xylazine Epidemic

 

More on Menopause Benefits

 

MO & Abortion

 

Improving Hip Mobility

 

IBS Treatment & Your Brain

 

Marriage Counseling & Chores

 

Multilingual Kids & Functioning Skills

 

Canada / Tariffs / Safety

 

AGC / DOD / PLAs

 

NLRB / Trump / College Athletes

 

UT / Public Works / Collective Bargaining

 

PA Teachers’ Strike

 

N CA Healthcare Workers Picket

 

Vail Resort Lift Mechanics Strike

 

OR Nurses about to Strike

 

King Soopers Strike Continues

 

Retail Workers & Unions

 

More on Teamsters & Amazon

 

Top DOJ Resignations

 

Judge’s orders & HHS Websites

 

NIH funding & University research efforts

 

NIH funding & Cancer research

 

More on Cutting research funding

 

CDC loses 10% of Workforce

 

Trump / Discrimination / Congress

 

Trump / Ed Dept / Civil Rights

 

DOGE / Medicare / Medicaid

 

Are DOGE’s Claims Accurate?

 

Trump & Anti-bribery repeal

 

MO Universities & Research Status

 

Immigrants & Delaying Healthcare

 

CA / Homeless Camps / Crime

 

MO / Starbucks / Anti-DEI

 

Disney & DEI

 

An Egg Substitute

 

Girls & Flag Football

 

MO SB 74 & Firearm Restrictions

 

 

Upcoming webinars, etc.:

OSHA: Preventing Heat Illness (2/17)

 

SLU CEET: CALM Training (2/21)

 

Parenting Teens (2/25)

 

Substance Abuse & Mental Health (2/27)

 

Resilience Training (3/5)

 

FREE Diapers

 

NOTE: The links provided above are for informational purposes only. None of these serve as a substitute for medical advice one should obtain from his/her own primary care physician and/or mental health professional. Please contact jgaal@moworks.org with related questions or comments.

 

February 17, 2025/by Dr. John Gaal
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https://moworksinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/iStock-697895326.jpg 779 1345 Dr. John Gaal https://moworksinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/missouri-works-initiative-logo-new-1-300x222.png Dr. John Gaal2025-02-17 15:00:002025-03-05 15:26:13Wellness & Well-being Highlights February 17th
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