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SAN MATEO COUNTY, CA — On a recent afternoon, as San Mateo County Sheriff Christina Corpus led a tour of the Maguire Correctional Facility, a correctional officer stopped her in the hallway to say he was grateful that he was able to use the body scan, a new wellness initiative offered by the sheriff’s office.
“Knowing that I was healthy and there were no major issues brought me and my family great relief,” the employee said.
In the spring of 2024, 129 sworn members of the sheriff’s office assigned to corrections were provided with the opportunity to access the free medical body scans. The full body scans, administered by a third-party company and paid for by a grant from the state, use imaging to screen for a host of health concerns—potentially spotting diseases before they become deadly. The scans included a consultation with a radiologist to review the results. The results are kept strictly confidential between the body scan company and the participant.
Those health concerns include cardiovascular and lung diseases, lower back and neck pathologies, over 20 different types of cancer and more.
“In law enforcement, we need to do a better job of taking care of ourselves so that we can take care of our communities,” said Sheriff Corpus. “We lose far too many women and men to burnout, health problems and even suicide due to stress and exposure to repeated critical incidents. By providing our employees with resources like a medical body scan, we ensure we can be the greatest resource possible to the community and to ourselves.”
The body scan program is one of several key wellness initiatives Sheriff Corpus has launched since taking office in January of 2023.
Prioritizing Nutrition
The saying, “we are what we eat,” is true, but prioritizing nutrition isn’t always easy for sheriff’s office employees, especially those in correctional facilities who are required to stay onsite during meal breaks. The nature of shift work often lends itself to limited and less than healthy meal options.
Understanding these hurdles first-hand was one of the motivations for Sheriff Corpus to help employees better prioritize their wellness through nutrition.
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As of February 1, 2024, those working in the two San Mateo County correctional facilities now have access to a new line of healthy meals onsite. This new option provides more vegetables and is lower in calories, carbohydrates and fat.
In addition to the onsite meals, the new sheriff’s office headquarters building, as well as the office’s two correctional facilities, are home to state-of-the-art vending machines. The machines are regularly restocked with quick and healthy options. The vending machines are available to all sheriff’s office employees and feature high protein meals. Additionally, employees can also order customized meals to fit their individual nutrition needs.
There are so many benefits to having a balanced diet including improved brain function and productivity, reduced stress, and more.
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Offering Mental Health Support
At the core of the law enforcement profession is a commitment to ensuring community safety. Through this, law enforcement officers are often called to render help to those in crisis. But what about their own mental health needs?
The sheriff’s office embraces the growing recognition that strong mental health is a cornerstone to success in law enforcement. Despite this, accessing counseling and therapy services can be challenging. Many law enforcement professionals experience long wait times and difficulty accessing help.
Sheriff Corpus, a longtime advocate and supporter for mental health resources, made it her mission to ensure sheriff’s office employees would be able to overcome those hurdles. Now, under her leadership, employees have access to a therapist 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Courtney Hughes, a licensed therapist who specializes in first responder clients, began working with the sheriff’s office in 2023. Her mission is to help employees better cope with the stressors of their demanding jobs.
The program is in such high demand, Sheriff Corpus is working to expand the program by bringing in an additional team of counselors from Stanford who will also be available to employees–all confidentially.
In addition to ensuring professional mental health services are available, peer-to-peer support is also a top priority. The sheriff’s office has a robust Peer Support Program that is championed by the Sheriff’s own team members.
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 “Sometimes law enforcement professionals are more likely to open up to their colleagues about the trauma they have endured, especially when it comes to events involving children. Having a trusted peer to lean on is an invaluable resource,” said Sheriff Corpus.
The Peer Support Program is designed to assist fellow employees with challenges including conflicts, personal stress, or work-related difficulties. The recently expanded team of 22 is made up of sworn and professional staff and aims to guide colleagues through stressful times, fostering support both in the workplace and at home.
Championing Physical Fitness
Working in law enforcement often involves short moments of vigorous activity followed by long sedentary periods. Add the disruption of unusual schedules and it is obvious why keeping physically fit can be a challenge.
Maintaining a baseline level of physical fitness is not only essential to meeting the demands of the job, but it also helps prevent employees from sustaining injuries.
The sheriff’s office champions physical fitness through its full service gym which is available to all employees. The gym helps remove cost barriers and provides a safe space where employees can prioritize their physical fitness during lunch or before and after work.
Additionally, for those who prefer a meditative and relaxing approach to fitness, the sheriff’s office provides a yoga and mobility training program through Firstgevity, a virtual wellness platform created specifically for first responders. Firstgevity provides countless instructor-led classes that are available on demand at any time of the day, each with a focus on injury prevention and stress management.
Wellness Makes a Healthier Community
The variety of resources now available to sheriff’s office employees ranges from stress management to medical, nutrition and exercise programs and the Sheriff is working to bring forward even more programs in the future.
Recently, the sheriff’s office was selected as one of 60 agencies from across the state to participate in the Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) Organizational Wellness Program. The program, a partnership between the University of California San Diego and POST, is designed to provide resources and services to agencies who are looking to enhance their current wellness offerings. As one of the first agencies in California to receive resources through this initiative, the sheriff’s office looks to create a comprehensive wellness plan to create awareness of existing wellness offerings and to guide future programming at the sheriff’s office.
“Public safety and employee wellness go hand-in-hand. This is personal to me, because I’ve been in the shoes of our employees who are trying to balance a demanding career and a family life at the same time. I know what it’s like to feel undervalued for the sacrifices you make, which is why I am steadfast in my commitment to enhancing the work environment for our employees,” said Sheriff Corpus.
The Sheriff’s multipronged approach values every aspect of an employee's life. By building programs that improve both the mental and physical health of employees, their performance improves, making the team more resilient and the community safer. This unprecedented way of helping employees, especially in the law enforcement sector, is leading the way for other agencies.
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