August 4, 2022 – Coppell, TX – Youturn Health, a virtual support program designed to help individuals who struggle with or who have family members dealing with behavioral health and substance misuse issues, announces a new partnership to provide employees of Pinal County Sheriff’s Office and their families as well as inmates of the Pinal County correctional system with education and peer coaching support.

“Through our partnership with Youturn Health, our employees, their families, and inmates will have access to on-demand education and peer coaching support to help them address concerns they may have around stress management, anxiety, depression and substance misuse,” said Sheriff Mark Lamb, Sheriff of Pinal County, Arizona. “We are proud to be leaders in our industry by offering this innovative program to provide our first responders with much needed behavioral health support that usually goes unaddressed. Additionally, we hope to reduce recidivism in the prison population with education that helps directly address substance misuse and its underlying causes.”

Stress and trauma can impact anyone’s everyday life, but the duties of a first responder are strenuous and over time put them at an increased risk for depression, trauma, substance misuse, and suicide. For example:

  • First responders are three times more likely to suffer from Substance Use Disorders (SUDs) than the general public [1]
  • Law enforcement officers are more likely to die by suicide than in the line of duty[2]
  • Depression and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) are five times more common in first responders[2]

Despite the prevalence of stress, anxiety, and depression among first responders, they can be hesitant to seek help, interpreting is at a weakness. “There is tremendous stigma around first responders getting help for stress, depression, and behavioral health,” says Hamilton Baiden, CEO of Youturn Health. “It’s long been considered a weakness to ask for help and a strength to internalize the trauma and drink to forget. By offering education and support for their officers’ psychological wellbeing, Pinal County Sheriff’s Office is at the forefront of the public sector’s effort to break the stigma around asking for help that causes so many first responders to suffer alone.”

Employees of the Pinal County Sheriff’s Office and their families will have unlimited access to Youturn Health’s confidential, evidence-based online library of educational videos on topics like stress management, depression, trauma, PTSD, suicide prevention, and substance misuse. Employees and family members will also be able to speak with trained peer coaches with lived experience in these issues, who can provide community resources and support along their wellness journey.

The Pinal County Sheriff’s Office partnership with Youturn Health launched July 1.

About Pinal County Sheriff’s Office

The Pinal County Sheriff’s Office has served residents of Pinal County, Arizona since 1875. With 500 employees and 550 inmates, the Sheriff’s Office has a mission to preserve the peace, protect life and property, and promote public safety while upholding the constitution.

About Youturn Health

Youturn Health is a virtual support program designed to help individuals and their family members struggling with stress, substance misuse, addiction, suicidal ideation, and grief utilizing evidence-based strategies. The core components of the comprehensive program include on-demand access to an online learning library, NAADAC-credentialed peer coaching, and care management where participants can quickly get support from trained healthcare professionals. Learn more at www.youturnhealth.com.

[1] Police and Addiction, Psychology Today, March 2018 (https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/sure-recovery/201803/police-and-addiction)

[2] Ruderman White Paper on Mental Health and Suicide of First Responders, April 2018 (https://rudermanfoundation.org/white_papers/police-officers-and-firefighters-are-more-likely-to-die-by-suicide-than-in-line-of-duty)