June 2024 – Parks & Recreation - 34

MENTAL HEALTH
Ginsburg recognize that mental
health affects everyone and that
their staff, colleagues and team
members increasingly are impacted
by the growing mental health crisis.
According to the National Alliance
on Mental Illness, 1 in 5 adults and
1 in 6 young people experience a
mental health condition each year,
and more than 8 million people provide
care to an adult with a mental
or emotional health issue (nami.
org/mhstats). Park and recreation
professionals are not exempt from
these issues, with many leaders
acknowledging that their workers
also are impacted by public health
and social challenges they confront
in their daily professional roles -
homelessness, gun violence, overdoses,
civil unrest, mental health
crises and climate change.
If we don't effectively support
the health and well-being of our
frontline staff, then their ability
to support the health and wellbeing
of their communities will
be compromised.
In
cities
across
the
country,
including San Francisco, there is no
shortage of trauma experienced by
park and recreation workers. " The
overdose crisis means gardeners
and other park workers frequently
find sick or dead people. 2023 was
the deadliest year on record for San
Francisco, " says Ginsburg. " More
than 800 people died of accidental
overdoses, some in our parks. That
is in addition to people who die from
suicide in our parks and the other
painful
situations we
increasingly
encounter, including homelessness,
erratic behavior and assaults. On
August 18, 2023, a masked person
climbed the stairs to the secondfloor
gymnasium in the Mission
Recreation Center, walked up to an
18-year-old as he played basketball
with his friends, and shot him. Our
recreation center staff found him
mortally wounded and called 911.
Our workers typically aren't first
responders, but they aren't immune
from job-related trauma and peril. "
Most leaders know they have
an obvious duty to support their
staff through trauma. Ginsburg
acknowledges that the focus on
mental health and well-being must
go beyond these periods of distress
and be a top priority year-round.
" Though it wasn't the first time gun
violence has touched one of our facilities,
it is thankfully rare. Much
more common is simply the daily
stress that compounds over time
and the need for regular employee
wellness efforts that value mental
and emotional well-being as importantly
as physical health, " he says.
NRPA President and CEO Kristine
Stratton agrees: " Many have
heard the airline instruction to put
your oxygen mask on first before
helping others with theirs. There is
clear evidence that human beings
can internalize the stressors and
trauma around them, even vicariously
through helping others who
have experienced trauma. Our mission
is dedicated to building a strong
park and recreation field, and that
hinges on healthy and resilient park
and recreation professionals. If we
don't effectively support the health
and well-being of our frontline staff,
then their ability to support the
health and well-being of their communities
will be compromised. This
can be a virtuous cycle if we are all
committed to it. "
What Do Workers Need?
Leading health organizations and
federal agencies agree that all work34
Parks & Recreation | JUNE 2 0 2 4 | PARK S ANDRECRE AT ION . OR G
places have a major role to play in
addressing the mental health crisis.
According to the American Psychological
Association's (APA) 2023
Work in America Survey (tinyurl.
com/3ebndhed), 92 percent of
workers seek employers who invest
in, value and prioritize staff mental
health and well-being. Beth M.
Schwartz, Ph.D., associate director
for the Office of Applied Psychology
at APA, shares, " Investment
in the mental health of staff needs
to be a priority. Workers want to
work for an organization that values
their psychological well-being,
provides support for mental health
and respects work-life boundaries. "
The survey found that while there
have been many positive developments
and trends related to workplace
well-being over the past few years,
improvements are needed. Lack of
mental health supports remains a
challenge, with respondents indicating
that only 43 percent of employers
offer health insurance coverage for
mental health and substance use disorder,
29 percent of employers provide
access to an employee assistance
program (EAP), and only 12 percent
of workplaces have people onsite
who have received mental health
training. Workplace stress remains
at a concerning level, with 77 percent
of workers experiencing workrelated
stress in the past month and
45 percent experiencing negative impacts
because of that stress, including
emotional exhaustion, lack of motivation,
a desire to keep to themselves
and/or quit, and lower productivity.
The survey found that workplace
stress and experiences differ
across industry, demographic and
other workplace factors - important
and
recreation leaders who have
staff serving in a wide variety of
roles. People in customer-facing
considerations for park
http://tinyurl.com/3ebndhed
June 2024 – Parks & Recreation

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of June 2024 – Parks & Recreation
