DESTIGMATIZING SUPPORT
called toolbox talks. It also includes better access to in-person and virtual therapy sessions, and encouraging leniency and sensitivity from lead- ership toward employees’ need for time off for mental health care. “We hit so many walls, but we just kept pounding on them,” says Morton. “The good thing is that the key players in the construction industry here in southeastern Wisconsin stood up and said, ‘Hey, if you’re going to be a subcontractor of ours, you’re going to be part of this program.’ It changed the whole environment.”
Though Morton admits it was initially challenging to get some of the more seasoned workers on board, reception to the WCWC has been generally positive. “The WCWC is more than a labor of love for my col - league, Bruce Morton,” says MMA Senior Regional Content Marketing Specialist Amanda Graff. “I have been lucky enough to support him as he talks to more groups and expands the network of who is hearing the message around mental health. For the people who are working hard to build the world around us, this feels like a foundation to help them also build resilience and care for themselves.”
Morton’s passion for mental health care is fueled by experi- ence. His son, now a high school senior, has been in treatment for mental health issues since kindergarten. Morton also suf- fered from anxiety following a traumatic episode. “My wife and I made a deci- sion that rather than continue to hide this and stay behind the stigma, we were going to become forward-facing,” he says. “There are people out there who need help or just need someone to listen to who’s been through it. And we can say that we’ve been through it, and we’ve become better for it.” The deeply personal experi- ences gave Morton insight into
Elizabeth Polheber, senior safety manager at VJS Construction Ser- vices, Inc. says being part of the WCWC has not only helped her busi- ness, but the industry as a whole. “The message that is getting around about construction mental health is a key topic,” she says. “You need to be healthy—mentally and physi- cally—to be able to work safely.” Though it took a lot of people and businesses to make the WCWC successful, Morton is especially grateful for support from MMA. Whether through donations, allo- cating marketing resources, con- necting him with medical and wellness consultants, or even hosting a meeting in his local office, the company stood behind him every step of the way. “When I went to them with the
Roughly 15 LIVES are lost to suicide every day among those in the industry.
the struggles his peers in the construction indus- try face. They allow him to exemplify the “three V’s.” He stresses that upper management be visible, vocal, and vulnerable (they even wear a special hard hat sticker that indicates they’re open to talk at any time). The strategy has proved to be effective. “Every class, talk, or session we do, we always get a couple people coming up, and that shows our impact,” he says. “When someone comes forward, we refer them to something that could help them—a person, a website, a phone number, or someone else in their organization. Like how we have risk management crews, we now have mental health teams.”
idea—you know, it’s a time commitment that’s not technically part of my job—they said, ‘Yes, run with it and we’ll support you,’” he says. “MMA is the only agency that I know of that can do
that or that can support someone that has those needs—what- ever that is, we can always find some way to help. And it’s just been amazing.”
BRUCE MORTON MMA Senior Loss Control Consultant
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