Thomson union works to stop suicide among correctional officers

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The union for correctional officers at Federal Correctional Institution Thomson donated $4,000 to help fund mental health support for its members and others.

The American Federation of Government Employees Local 4070 announced Wednesday it had raised the money for The Gray Matters Collective to fund mental health support for correctional officers and their families in the local area.

The collective is a nonprofit focused on mental health awareness and suicide prevention. It was founded at Augustana College in 2018, according to its website.

The donation is one of many ways the AFGE is trying to prevent suicide among correctional staff, according to the union release.

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"Correctional officers face a suicide rate seven times higher than the general population," the release states.

These officers frequently encounter a high-stress environment at work, including long shifts without enough staff and high-risk situations, the release states. Their rates of suicide, depression and PTSD are higher than police or military veterans.

The union's partnership with Gray Matters has included suicide prevention training that 24 Thomson staff members have so far completed, the release states. The two groups have also created a support group for correctional officers and first responders that includes a licensed therapist.

Information about the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline and other mental health resources have also been posted in correctional officers' work spaces at Thomson, the release states.

The union's other actions on this issue include recently holding its second yearly Suicide Prevention Awareness Walk and working with Congress on the Corrections Officer Blake Schwarz Suicide Prevention Act.

Iowa U.S. Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, a Republican, introduced the bill in March and Illinois U.S. Rep. Eric Sorensen, a Democrat, co-sponsored it.

Schwarz, a correctional officer at Thomson, died by suicide in 2023, according to Miller-Meeks' website.

The bill is designed to create a grant program to help provide mental health screenings and referrals for correctional officers at local, state and federal facilities, Miller-Meeks' website states.

The measure remained pending as of Wednesday.

988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline services are available by dialing 988. More information can be found at the Lifeline website.

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