Making mental wellness a priority: A Healthy Start
The Healthy Start program has been providing members with one-on-ones with mental health clinicians for ten years
addressing stress and trauma
At York Regional Police, the mental health and well-being of our members is paramount.
We recognize that policing is a challenging and demanding profession and are always looking for opportunities to further support our members.
One way York Regional Police is supporting the mental wellness of our officers is by expanding the former Safeguard Program, now called Healthy Start, to better fit the needs of our members on the frontline.
Healthy Start has been operational for ten years. It allows members to meet with a mental health clinician for a one-hour appointment, while on shift, to speak about the personal, occupational or organizational issues they may be facing.
The sessions educate members about the signs and symptoms of stress and trauma and about the resources available to support them and their family.
In 2023, Healthy Start was expanded. A clinician is now embedded in each York Regional Police district, with the goal of providing services directly to all 1,200 members on the frontline, rather than just those in specialty units.
Providing officers with the tools to manage the psychological stressors of the job is “equally as important as protecting their physical health and safety,” said Dr. Kyle Handley, the Senior Director of the York Regional Police Wellness Bureau.
“Expanding Healthy Start to our frontline officers will ensure that those that are exposed to these stressors on a daily basis have ready access to on-site mental health resources, are equipped with the knowledge of how to support themselves and others and allows us to directly confront the stigma that keeps so many from reaching out.”
