Healthy communities need healthy first responders
Chicago police officers stand outside the Cook County Medical Examiner’s office before a procession for a fellow officer who was shot to death during a traffic stop in August 2021.
Tyler Pasciak LaRiviere/Sun-Times
As Chicago welcomes Larry Snelling as our new police superintendent, it’s a critical time to reflect on the enormous stress shouldered by first responders — police, firefighters and their many colleagues. Seven Chicago police officers died by suicide last year, a shocking but not surprising number given the following statistics.
According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, about 1 in 3 first responders develop PTSD, compared to 1 in 5 people in the general population; and nearly 37% of EMS personnel and firefighters have considered suicide, a rate nearly 10 times that for average Americans.
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Yet the suffering of first responders often goes unnoticed, largely due to the stigma surrounding mental health issues.
If we truly respect first responders and their unwavering commitment to our communities, we must provide the treatment and support they need to combat the toll of stress experienced in the line of duty.
With support from U.S. Sens. Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth, Haymarket Center has launched a series of four-day retreats that allow first responders to address the post-traumatic stress undermining their resilience.
Haymarket Center, the Chicago region’s largest and most comprehensive non-profit provider of mental health and substance use treatment, has spent decades understanding the effects of both acute and chronic stress. Never have we seen people experience more shattering levels of stress than the first responders in our retreats.
The response has been overwhelmingly positive. Our retreats offer supportive intervention and an opportunity to begin the recovery process. We see participants enter the program continually reliving their traumatic experiences while working in emotional and physically demanding conditions.
They leave with the skills to cope with their personal set of traumatic indicators and an increased awareness of their personal and professional impact, all while reaffirming their purpose in life, to “protect and serve.”
We’re seeing more demand to expand, from first responders and mental health professionals hoping to replicate our interventions and results.
We owe our first responders the opportunity to heal. Haymarket Center looks forward to working with soon-to-be Supt. Snelling to do just that.
Dan Lustig, president and CEO, Haymarket Center
Both political parties disappoint
The incongruity of two major stories back-to-back on the same page of the Aug. 17 edition of the Sun-Times offers a poignant lesson in why it’s difficult to accept what either major political party says to proclaim its worthiness over the other.
The page 3 headline about the trial of Tim Mapes, the longtime chief of staff to former Illinois House Speaker (Democrat) Michael Madigan says, “Jurors hear secret FBI recordings of ex-top aide to Madigan, then hear him allegedly lying to a grand jury.”
On literally the back side of the same page, under the headline “We Built A Blue Wave,” there is a sub-headline over a story about how Gov. J.B. Prtizker “blasts Republican lies (and) GOP power brokers on Governor’s Day at State Fair.”
Is it any wonder that there is so much cynicism about the value of either party’s positions, that there is some indication [why] many voters would prefer to vote for “other” rather than give candidates of either party their full support?
Jeffrey L. Stern, Highland Park
How to cure the GOP
In a recent column, Sun-Times reporter Lynn Sweet notes that former Illinois House Republican Leader Jim Durkin isn’t sure how to cure the Republican Party of “Trump fever.” Really?
The first step is getting a backbone and some scruples. The second is accepting that saving the party means losing some elections and giving up some power in the short term. Finally, the last step is developing a platform that goes beyond “owning the libs.”
The truth is the Republicans have not been a serious coalition interested in anything but naked power grabs for decades. They simply have no standards. So while Durkin wants to cure what ails them, all we ever see is them doubling down on what makes them sick.
Don Anderson, Oak Park
Thank you, Dr. Arwady
An open letter of thank you to Dr. Allison Arwady:
There are thousands of us who will forever be grateful to you for helping us brave the storm of COVID-19. We were so afraid of this brand-new virus, seeing people die all around us and having a government at the time that was politicizing and lying about the deadly disease versus worrying about the people. You went above and beyond.
You were brave, intelligent and honest. You were on TV everyday answering questions while helping us remain calm and informed. It appears politics have played a role in your change of position. Mayor Brandon Johnson will forever be remembered for this decision and not in a very good light. But we have no doubt you will land on your feet. Anyone with your level of intelligence and compassion is in high demand.
We just want you to know that we will never forget you and will be forever grateful as you steered the ship in a very stormy sea, so we could stay safe and sleep at night.
Louise Bajorek, Burbank