Oklahoma City – On Tuesday, the Oklahoma City Police Department partnered with the 49 Project and OU Health to host a health‑and‑wellness fair for officers, civilian employees, retirees and their families. The event, held at the Civic Center, was organized in memory of three officers who died from cardiac events over the past five years.
Comprehensive resources for police families
More than 300 participants walked through the venue during the first hour and a half, with organizers hoping to reach 500‑600 attendees. The fair offered a range of services, from physical examinations and biometric screenings to emotional‑health counseling, financial advice and spiritual support. “We’ve got resources that span all kinds of different disciplines, from physical and emotional to financial and spiritual,” said Master Sergeant Adam Rosko of the 49 Project and the OKC Police Department Wellness Unit.
Medical screening saves lives
OU Health provided over a dozen services, including blood‑pressure checks, cholesterol testing and glucose monitoring. Participants met with medical experts to review their results and receive guidance on follow‑up care. “A lot of times, we cruise through life and don’t know we have those issues until somebody takes a little bit of time and looks at our situation,” explained Corey Nooner, project manager at OU Health.
Honoring fallen officers
Rosko said the initiative began as a way to honor the three officers who lost their lives to cardiac events. He believes they would be proud of the department’s renewed focus on wellness. “This job takes so much from what we do—the physical toll, the spiritual toll, the mental toll. So, for our officers to say, ‘You know what? I want to make sure that I’m living a good, healthy life so that I can provide the services’—they would be so proud of this,” he added.
Looking ahead: Cornerstone Wellness Center
The department is planning to open the Cornerstone Wellness Center in October. The center, a partnership with the Police Foundation, will house a state‑of‑the‑art fitness facility, counseling rooms, medical exam spaces and a chapel for spiritual care. “It’s a partnership we have with the Police Foundation. We’re going to have a state‑of‑the‑art wellness center that’s going to provide all these resources in one location,” Rosko said.
The health fair underscores a growing trend among law‑enforcement agencies to prioritize the well‑being of their personnel. By offering preventive care and holistic support, the OKC Police Department hopes to reduce future cardiac incidents and improve overall quality of life for those who protect the community.
Original reporting: Oklahoma City News Feed (HLL/CB) — read the source article.
