SAN ANTONIO – The San Antonio Police Department is expanding the services available to officers through its Wellness Unit, bringing in outside experts to help address the physical and mental demands of the job.
One of the groups SAPD is working with is VPT Performance, a Tennessee-based physical therapy and performance group that recently visited San Antonio to work directly with officers.
The group focuses on physical therapy, recovery, strength training and helping law enforcement officers maintain the physical capabilities needed to do their jobs.
Kelly Ireland and Shannon Fennelly are physical therapists with VPT Performance. They traveled on behalf of VPT to work with SAPD last week. Ireland told KSAT that officers face unique physical challenges on a daily basis, and physical therapy can help with that.
“Low back pain is what we’re seeing officers experience the most. It’s also because of the vest they have to wear and the position it puts them in when they are responding to intense calls,” Ireland said.
Fennelly added that officers also can struggle to find time for recovery during long shifts and physically demanding work.
“You’re taking care of the police officer not just physically, but that also helps and bleeds into their mental well-being,” Fennelly said. “Now they’re eating healthier, you’re moving better, you’re in less pain. You’re sleeping better.”
SAPD officer Brent Vermeulen, who works with the department’s Wellness Unit, said the program is designed specifically for officers and is separate from the department’s Mental Health Unit.
The department’s performance recovery optimization program, or PRO, focuses on six areas of wellness:
Physical
Mental
Spiritual
Social
Financial
Tactical
Vermeulen said the department is emphasizing physical wellness this year, including nutrition, fitness and overall health.
“Physical fitness, not only physical fitness, but mental fitness,” Vermeulen said. “That goes back to being physically in shape, mentally in shape, whether that being getting your sleep, your nutrition, all that kind of stuff in check.”
SAPD said officers can respond to between 10 and 20 calls a day, depending on their assignment and area. Vermeulen also support Fennelly’s and Ireland’s statement: Constant demands of the job can take a toll on an officer’s all-around health.
The department’s Wellness Unit began a few years ago. Vermeulen said building trust with officers is key to getting them to use the resources available to them.
“The only way to be 100% effective in doing that is to make sure that we take care of ourselves,” Vermeulen said. “If we cannot take care of ourselves, how are we going to take care of our community?”
SAPD added the goal of expanding wellness services is to give officers more tools to take care of themselves while preparing them to better serve the San Antonio community.
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