ANNAPOLIS, Md. – The Anne Arundel County Police Department is excited to announce its Wellness Program, a voluntary, peer-run program designed to foster healthier living, thinking, and well-being for both sworn and non-sworn agency members and their families. The program began as a pilot in October 2020 and has since become a permanent resource within our training division.
This agency recognizes that the police profession can adversely impact the health and well-being of our officers and their loved ones. Therefore, we prioritize wellness, understanding that this profession brings with it unique stressors, long hours, shifting schedules, and all too often, exposure to tragedies. Our goal is to provide a means by which officers and their family members can access programs and support in any of the five wellness areas and help maintain a high level of fitness for duty. The program’s five wellness areas, or pillars, are Physical Health, Psychological Health, Family Well-Being, Financial Well-Being, and Spiritual Well-Being.
The focus of the physical health pillar is personal fitness, nutrition, and stress response, with activities and discussions in these areas. The program offers weekly fitness events such as group workouts, yoga nights, and rucks/hikes. Resiliency and mindfulness are emphasized in the psychological health area, incorporating peer support sessions and critical incident debriefings into wellness activities. Family wellness efforts are geared toward helping officers identify their support systems in their home life and analyze their relationships with friends and neighbors. The spiritual pillar allows officers to explore their own spirituality, reflecting on their purpose in life through meditation, prayer circles, and access to departmental chaplains. Finally, employees are coached on ways to live within their financial means with proper budgeting and advice on retirement planning through financial wellness sessions.
By providing access to this voluntary wellness program, the Anne Arundel County Police Department hopes to ensure the health and well-being of all of our employees.
For more information about this unique and innovative program, please contact the Anne Arundel County Police Media Relations office at 410-222-8700, or reply to this email.