Partners in the spotlight

First responders rewarded with PTO for prioritizing their mental health services. 

Story courtesy of Chief Charlie Vazquez. Chief of Police, Tampa International Airport. 

In 2023, St. Petersburg College developed an innovative certificate program to bring mental health training and resources to officers through a peer support model called the Applied Mental Health Technical Certificate Program. This idea was borne of discussions between Suncoast PBA President Jonathan Vazquez and Legal Counsel Sasha Lohn.
Vazquez and Lohn were exploring ways to address the growing mental wellness dynamic negatively, and disproportionately, affecting first responders. With assistance from St Pete College, a year-long course of instruction was developed with the goal of providing first responders with the skills to assist their fellow first responders who might be facing mental health difficulties.
The first cohort of first responders graduated from the 18-semester hour program in 2024. Among those who attended, were Tampa International Airport Police Officers Angeliesse Nesterwitz and Stephanie Pascalli. Funding from the Pepin Family Foundation largely paid for the tuition for the program.

Officer Pascalli was looking for ways to incentivize her fellow officers to establish a relationship with a mental health provider, much like the relationship most people have with their primary care physician. She proposed to me that if an officer met with a certified mental health provide who had experience with first responders, they should be incentivized with a paid day off. Seeing value in that, I encouraged Officer Pascalli to explore the idea further.

In the meantime, Tampa Airport Human Resources employee and former Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office Captain, Dave DiSano, graduated from the second cohort of the Applied Mental Health Technical Certificate Program. These two began to work together to develop a program. When their concept was nearly completed, they pitched the idea to the Executive Team at the Airport and were met with approval.

They researched mental health providers in the Bay Area who had experience assisting first responders and pitched their idea to them. Several providers expressed interest, and in the end, three were selected. With assistance from the Procurement Division at Tampa International Airport, contracts were developed for the providers.

A General Order was created detailing the program and released to the Department. The General Order included:

· A one-hour visit, on-line or in person entitled the officer to a “free” day off

· The officer could take advantage of this program once each fiscal year

· Billing and payment was completely anonymous

· The Department would pay for three additional follow-up visits if requested

With selection of the final three providers, each one created a video to “introduce” themselves to the department. Officers were encouraged to watch the videos and select a provider they believed best suited them.

About ¼ of the Department’s officers have taken part in the program. Several have attended follow-up visits.

Finally, the funding source used for this program came from Federal Forfeiture Funds.