The San Antonio Police Department (SAPD) announced an expansion of its Wellness Unit, bringing in outside specialists to help officers meet the demanding physical and mental challenges of law‑enforcement work.
New partnership with VPT Performance
Starting this week, SAPD officers are working directly with VPT Performance, a Tennessee‑based physical therapy and performance group. Physical therapists Kelly Ireland and Shannon Fennelly traveled to San Antonio to deliver hands‑on treatment and training to officers on the force.
“Low back pain is what we’re seeing officers experience the most,” Ireland explained. “It’s also because of the vest they have to wear and the position it puts them in when they are responding to intense calls.” Fennelly added that long shifts and physically demanding duties often leave little time for recovery, making targeted therapy essential.
Holistic focus on fitness and well‑being
The department’s Performance Recovery Optimization (PRO) program targets six key areas of wellness, including nutrition, fitness, sleep, and overall health. SAPD officer Brent Vermeulen, who works with the Wellness Unit, said the initiative is designed specifically for police personnel and operates separately from the department’s Mental Health Unit.
“Physical fitness, not only physical fitness, but mental fitness,” Vermeulen said. “That goes back to being physically in shape, mentally in shape, whether that’s getting your sleep, your nutrition, all that kind of stuff in check.”
Officers in San Antonio typically respond to between 10 and 20 calls a day, depending on assignment and area. The constant demands can take a toll on an officer’s all‑around health, a point both Ireland and Fennelly emphasized.
Building trust and self‑care
The Wellness Unit, launched a few years ago, focuses on building trust with officers so they feel comfortable using available resources. “The only way to be 100% effective in doing that is to make sure that we take care of ourselves,” Vermeulen said. “If we cannot take care of ourselves, how are we going to take care of our community?”
By expanding services to include professional physical therapy and recovery optimization, SAPD hopes to give its officers more tools to stay healthy, reduce injury risk, and ultimately serve the San Antonio community more effectively.
Original reporting: San Antonio, TX News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.
