ACA 2021 Virtual WC Program Book

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 2021 1:30 - 3:00 P.M. EST

PLENARY CRITICAL ISSUE #3 Correctional Staff Wellness Programs: Cost-Effective Alternatives Correctional staff are essential to public safety. But corrections staff mean much more to an agency than that. Far too often, the mental and physical toll that correctional staff encounter weighs heavy and leads to poor outcomes. Investment in staff wellness is critical, and that investment is not simply a financial fix. This session seeks to elicit support from all levels of management that have direct oversight of staff wellness programs within their agency or facility. The goal of the session is to provide alternative options to improving staff wellness programs when funding is limited. Broad findings from a recent national scan conducted by ACA will be utilized as support. Learning Objectives: 1. List reasons to support staff wellness programs. 2. Identify key barriers to prolonged success of staff wellness programs. 3. Develop ideas for cost-effective staff wellness program alternatives within correctional agencies. Moderato r: Gary C. Mohr, American Correctional Association 106 th President, Chillicothe, OH Speakers: Colette Peters – Director, Oregon Department of Corrections, Salem, Oregon; Chair; Scott Frakes – Director, Nebraska Department of Correctional Services, Lincoln, Nebraska; Gary Junker , Ph.D., HSP-P, Director of Health and Wellness Services, NC Department of Public Safety, Adult Correction-Prisons, Raleigh, North Carolina; Sonya Gillespie – Major, Denver Sheriff’s Department, Denver, Colorado