The Louisville District recognized World Mental Health Day, October 10, 2023, with a walk organized by Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) Team Peer Supporters in Downtown Louisville, Kentucky.
Since its inception in 1992, World Mental Health Day has been recognized annually on October 10th with the goal of raising awareness of mental health issues around the world and to mobilize efforts in support of mental health.
This year’s theme was “Mental health is a universal human right.”
“It's really great to see our Corps community be proactive about mental health,” said Louisville District employee and CISM Team Peer Supporter, Alicia Cannon. “This issue has always been close to my heart, and I'm proud to work for an organization who actively reduces stigma associated with seeking help and staying healthy.”
Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) Team Peer Supporters from the Louisville District are also challenging supervisors and employees to engage in activities supporting Mental Health Awareness Day in the office throughout the month of October.
Ideas include hanging up positive posters around the office, bringing in healthy snacks for employees to enjoy, providing an online or printed resource list of mental health support services, holding an open discussion forum to talk about mental health stigma and how to reduce it in the workplace, designating a self-care day, and enlisting a senior leader in a mental health share.
CISM is intended to lessen the overall impact of stress and accelerate recovery in people who are having normal reactions to abnormal events, such as work stress. The CISM Team is comprised of more than 100 USACE employees from various districts across the enterprise.
The Louisville District has five CISM Team Peer Supporters. Two, Alicia Cannon and Renee Booth, in the district office, while the other three, Deryck Rodgers, Larry Lemmon, and Jennifer Lewis, are located at field offices.
“We want people to know it’s okay to not be okay and we are here to offer resources for coping, such as our Employee Assistance Program,” said Renee Booth. “I want us all to applaud people who are brave enough to reach out for help and prioritize their own mental health.”