Through the leadership of MHANYS Director of Training and Special Projects, Katie Oldakowski, the graphic work of MHANYS Production Team, and sustained efforts from the New York State Department of Health Division of State EMS and the EMS Mental Health Fellowship, a Mental Health and Wellness Toolkit was developed for EMS workers.
“It was developed for EMS, by EMS.”
EMS Mental Health & Wellness Toolkit Released
MHANYS, in partnership with the New York State Department of Health Division of State EMS, has released the EMS Mental Health & Wellness Toolkit, a new statewide resource designed to help EMS agencies build, strengthen, and sustain mental health and wellness efforts within their organizations.
The Toolkit is one of the major outcomes of the Division of State EMS Mental Health Fellowship, a yearlong initiative that brought together EMS professionals from across New York State to examine mental health and wellness within their own agencies, participate in training and technical assistance, and put strategies into practice.
What makes this resource particularly meaningful is that it was developed for EMS, by EMS. The Toolkit incorporates best practices alongside the real world experiences, challenges, lessons learned, and feedback of the EMS professionals who participated in the Fellowship. Rather than prescribing a single model, it provides practical information, templates, and tools that agencies can adapt based on their size, resources, workforce, and existing wellness efforts.
Topics include leadership and organizational culture, peer support, critical incident response, training and education, policy and confidentiality, family and community engagement, resource development, and program sustainability.
While developed through an EMS lens, many of the strategies and tools can also be adapted for fire, law enforcement, dispatch, corrections, and other public safety organizations.
The message throughout the Toolkit is intentionally simple: Start where you are. Build from there. Sustainable change does not happen through one training or initiative. It develops over time through leadership, relationships, trusted resources, and continued investment in the people doing this work.
We are incredibly proud of the EMS Fellows who helped shape this resource and grateful for our continued partnership with the New York State Department of Health Division of State EMS.
Developed for EMS, by EMS. Adaptable for First Responders.
The Toolkit is available here: EMS Mental Health & Wellness Toolkit.
