By Alyssa Schnugg
News editor
Being a law enforcement officer can be tough on a person’s health, both physically and mentally.
The Lafayette County Sheriff’s Department is offering its deputies — and their families — tools to keep them in the best of health, from head to toe.
While a new gym is being built next door to the Lafayette County Detention Center for physical health, the department has partnered with Cordico to provide its deputies with a new phone app to help keep them mentally fit as well.
The app includes a wellness toolkit addressing 60 behavioral health topics such as fatigue, suicide prevention and alcohol abuse, mental health self-assessments, and videos and guides on nutrition and more.
In addition, the app provides contact information Communicare and connects users with peer support team members and chaplains.
The app is confidential and available on any digital device 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
It’s also available for family members.
“We realize mental and physical health are major concerns in our field,” said Sheriff Joey East. “I can’t tell you the countless marriages I’ve seen fall apart. We’ve had two suicides and officers shot. We had one killed in the line of duty. And that’s not even the stuff we see daily, like death, child abuse and more.”
“Cops don’t like talking about it,” East continued. “So this app, they can research anything on their own and learn about ways to handle certain things that might be going on with them.”
Cordico is a worldwide, wellness technology company providing wellness support specifically for first responders and emergency personnel.
