GRAND ISLAND — The Grand Island Police Department (GIPD) is requesting federal funding to support a two-year Law Enforcement Mental Health and Wellness Pilot Project.
Recent surveys of our officers indicate that there is a need for greater mental health and wellness services. This pilot project will create a comprehensive program that addresses both the urgent mental health needs of our staff and create a solid foundation for a mentally and physically healthy staff through carefully crafted wellness training.
The GIPD Mental Health and Wellness Pilot Project will address the urgent mental health needs of our staff by providing 30-minute mental health check-ins with a licensed mental health professional for all sworn officers and individual hour-long sessions available within 48 hours of the request for urgent situations. Six hours of annual paid overtime will be paid per officer to attend these services so that the program does not impact staffing levels.
GIPD is also proposing to create a comprehensive wellness program that strengthens our current offerings to include annual financial courses, instruction in physical fitness, healthy eating courses, suicide prevention and healthy coping mechanisms. Training will be offered in person and virtually through our community partners. Data will be collected throughout the program in cooperation with a local college to measure the success of its implementation.
