MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORT FOR SHEET METAL WORKERS

MAY IS MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS MONTH. AS UNION SHEET METAL WORKERS, WE HAVE THE MENTAL HEALTH RESOURCES WE NEED.

In solidarity,

Richard LaBille III Business Manager

SMART 100 Washington, D.C. • Baltimore • Cumberland • Roanoke • Norfolk • Richmond

Every year in the United States since 1949, May has been recognized as Mental Health Awareness Month. The month is dedicated to erasing the stigma of mental illnesses of all kinds, showing support for one another, and encouraging anyone who feels like they may need help to seek the support they need. Nationally, SMART is working to ensure members always feel supported both during this important month and throughout the year. That’s why our union has the Member Assistance Program (SMART MAP).

SMART MAP is both an education awareness program and membership action program for any SMART members confronting mental health challenges and any associated issues. SMART MAP’s mission is focused on substance use disorder and suicide prevention, two public health crises that disproportionately impact members of the building trades.

SMART MAP confronts those challenges facing Sheet Metal Workers by educating members on substance use disorder and suicide prevention, as well as on employee assistance programs, ethics, confidentiality and selfcare practices. Members who complete SMART MAP’s training then become mentors, charged with providing compassionate and empathetic support to their fellow members who are returning to work after facing a mental health challenge.

Tragically, workers in the construction industry are 3.5 times more likely than the national average to take their own lives. They’re also six times more likely to die of an opioid overdose. It’s clear that mental health resources are vital for workers in the trades. Though, as SMART MAP Coordinator Chris Carlough explained in a recent interview, “people don’t like to talk about mental health.”

To combat this stigma and encourage SMART members to reach out for help when they need it, Carlough and his team are creating peer support systems, “empowering [members] to go out there and be peer advocates for their members and getting people to be comfortable to have uncomfortable conversations.”

Here at Local 100, our Member Assistance Program meetings usually take place the last Tuesday of every month at Local 100 HQ in Suitland, MD from 3:304:30pm. All members who feel they need support are welcome and encouraged to join. For more information, scan the QR code below.

Members who are interested in learning more about SMART MAP may contact Chris Carlough at ccarlough@smart-union.org

If you or anyone you know needs assistance, SMART members can receive free and confidential assistance through our helpline at (877) 884-6227.

If you are someone you know is experiencing a mental health crisis please contact the suicide prevention help line at 988.