Local emergency responders have another resource available to keep up with their mental health.

Mindbase, an agency wellness program, launches for county employees and their families Friday. The app offers a confidential way for emergency personnel to seek mental health support.

Contessa Stilts, assistant 911 director at Jay County Sheriff’s Office, explained she discovered the app during a conference in California last year. It was the confidentiality feature that first attracted her, she said.

“Nobody gets to know,” she added. “They don’t have to go and ask their boss and say, ‘Hey, this call affected me in a certain way. I need some help.’ They can seek it on their own.”

It also ties into the Jay County Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) team, a group formed to help responders left emotionally or physically affected by traumatic events.

County employees may download the app for free on their phones. It opens to a home screen with three options — peer support, personalized care and check in with yourself (health resources) — and the logo for the CISM team.

The peer support selection allows users to see a list of CISM team members, their occupation and their contact information.

Personalized care provides additional support, offering contact information for resources such as counselors, chaplains and the IU Health outpatient behavioral unit.

“It’s for if you need a little more than just talking to somebody individually,” explained Stilts.

The last tab, check in with yourself, displays other local health resources.

At the bottom of the home screen there are three symbols — a house, a brain and a phone. Selecting the house takes users to the home screen.

The brain icon opens to short videos, tips and tricks for more support. Videos are regularly cycled through, meaning regular users should have access to different videos over time.

The phone icon gives users direct numbers to emergency hotlines.

There’s also a section to take self-assessments for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, depression, alcohol abuse, insomnia and anxiety.

Mindbase will eventually link to the county’s computer-aided dispatch reporting system, allowing administrative staff to notice when an employee has taken a heavy load of difficult calls.

“Any time the call is created and then a unit is assigned to it, the backside of the program will calculate that and turn it into points,” explained Stilts.

Whenever an employee accrues a large amount of points in a seven-day period, they would be considered at a high-stress level. That triggers a Mindbase notification to check in with the employee and informs administrative staff about their point value.

Jay County Commissioners approved an agreement with Mindbase in September. It’s one of several recent efforts in the community to address mental health.

Jay County CISM formed in the fall. Portland also accepted an agreement Jan. 6 with LifeWorks Counseling and Wellness, which offers therapy for trauma as well as other counseling.

“People are leaving this industry, and it’s usually one call,” said John McFarland, Jay EMS director. He advocated for helping folks address their mental health.

Mike Weitzel, chief of Portland Fire Department, noted since he and McFarland launched the CISM team that they’ve received several calls for help.

“I feel like it’s becoming more of a forefront issue,” he said.

Mindbase will be available to all emergency personnel in Jay County, including police, firefighters, Emergency Medical Service responders and dispatch, as well as their families.

Stilts repeated her main hope for Mindbase is to offer privacy to emergency personnel.

“I want it to be in their hands and not have to seek it out,” she said. “I don’t want them to have to go to their own boss and say, hey, I need help. Because people won’t do it. And then their mental health will just continue to decline.

“That’s the thought behind it, is that ‘Maybe someone’s going to make fun of me or I’m going to be embarrassed or they’re going to take me off my shifts, I’m not gonna be able to work,’” said Stilts. “That’s just added stress. And we don’t want that.”
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