(Philadelphia, Pa.) — The GUIDE App today announced a partnership with the Fraternal Order of Police, Lodge #5 (FOP) to provide no-cost, accessible mental health support to officers in Philadelphia, as well as Philadelphia Deputy Sheriff’s and civilians that work within the police department.
GUIDE is an award-winning, evidence-based mobile wellness and resilience tool with anonymity for its users. The service includes microlearning videos of 1-2 minutes with interactive question & answers, moderated peer groups, practices of meditation, journaling and more.
The service has demonstrated immense success and has thousands of active current members. A pilot study of the app showed high participant engagement with 75 percent completing at least one lesson per week, and 59 percent posting at least one small group comment per week. Consistent use led to increased positive emotions, motivation and engagement and decreased anxiety (a 29% decrease on average) negative emotions and loneliness.
“Being on the frontlines of public safety every day puts tremendous strain on the mental health of our officers and too many barriers exist to those officers receiving the care they need and deserve,” said GUIDE Founder and CEO Patrick Sandone. “Inaccessibility, stigma and fear of a breach in confidentiality can put care out of reach for those who need it the most, and GUIDE seeks to put it in their hands – literally. Our mobile service will allow these officers to receive the help they need on a platform they can access from anywhere at any time.”
First responders and frontline workers are at high risk of mental health challenges and suicide. In 2020, there were 6,146 veteran suicides (Office of Mental Health and Suicide Prevention, 2022) and 406 active duty military suicides (Defense Casualty Analysis System, n.d.). First responders, including police officers and firefighters, are more likely to die by suicide than in the line of duty (Heyman et al., 2018).
“Our officers are the best and bravest among us, and mental health support is going to make them better and stronger,” said Roosevelt Poplar, President Fraternal Order of Police, Lodge #5. “There is no shame in seeking help; our officers are helping others every single day and we’re proud to offer this service to them. We hope that every officer can take advantage of it and lead a fuller, less stressful life. They deserve it.”
The program is supported by a PA Department of Human Services grant.
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