Members of the Erie police and fire departments took the field at UPMC Park, battling for bragging rights in front of friends, families and community members.

But behind the competition, NAMI Erie County says the bigger goal is starting conversations about mental health and making sure people know help is available.

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“It really is for them to understand that healthy leisure is a wellness tool to help support their mental health. Every single day they step into the job, they’re dealing with high stress; they’re putting themselves in harm’s way,” Wendy Jacobs, Executive Director of NAMI Erie, said.

Players on the field say bringing mental health into a fun community setting can help make a difficult subject easier to talk about.

“It’s extremely important; I’m part of our critical incidents, stress management team. We do a lot internally for mental health and to get it out to the public, it’s fantastic,” Andy Miller, a member of the City of Erie Police Department, said.

“Hopefully it just makes it normalized. Every single person has mental health. Every single person has a bad day, so we just hope that it just becomes a very normal thing. If you have a physical ailment you go to a doctor. If you have a mental health challenge, again, go seek the help so that you’re able to continue to be well and be your best self,” Jacobs said.

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While it was the police vs the fire department on the field, both teams are playing for the same cause. That is to helps break the stigma surrounding mental health and get people with the right resources available.

“There was always a mentality of you know, internalize everything and just the more education you can throw out there, the better” Miller said.

NAMI hopes the message lasts well beyond the final out, reminding anyone struggling with their mental health that resources and support are available in the Erie community.

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