ALCOAST 173/18 - MAY 2018 MENTAL HEALTH MONTH 2018: MIND YOUR HEALTH

united states coast guard

R 070759 MAY 18
FM COMDT COGARD WASHINGTON DC//CG-11//
TO ALCOAST
UNCLAS //N06520//
ALCOAST 173/18
COMDTNOTE 6520
SUBJ:  MENTAL HEALTH MONTH 2018: MIND YOUR HEALTH
1. May is Mental Health Month. Mental health plays an important role in your sense of
well-being. Overall wellness is closely tied to the balance that exists between our emotional,
physical, spiritual, and mental health.
2. Mental health problems can affect your thoughts, mood, and behavior. Prevention activities
and self-awareness are effective ways to reduce the impact of stressors. Steps that help us
achieve and maintain wellness include adopting good eating and drinking habits, getting
regular exercise and sleep, developing coping skills that promote resiliency, achieving greater
emotional awareness, and connecting to family, friends, and the community.
3. These steps are complemented by taking regular stock of your mental well-being and asking for
help when you are feeling out of balance or burdened by a stressful situation. Fully embracing
the concept of wellness by developing useful strategies for strengthening mental health and
promoting resiliency leads to improved general health and a feeling of well-being.
4. TRICARE offers many programs and resources for military members to get help. TRICARE covers
medically and psychologically necessary mental health and substance use disorder care. This
includes both inpatient and outpatient care. To view all TRICARE covered mental health care
treatments, visit: https://tricare.mil/CoveredServices/Mental/Treatments. U.S. Coast Guard
members, civilians, and their families can also get confidential help before a concern becomes
a crisis through the Coast Guard Employee Assistance Program.
5. Additional sources of help include:
   a. CG SUPRT: Call 855-CGSUPRT (247-8778) at any time or go to the website at:
https://www.cgsuprt.com/portal/landing. This is the Coast Guard program to assist active duty
members, members of the Selected Reserve, civilian employees, and their family members with a
variety of issues such as financial challenges, legal issues, relationship discord, an imbalance
between work and life demands, and other stressors that might be impacting mental readiness.
The program offers non-medical counseling, coaching, information, self-assessment tools, and
many other services.
   b. Helpful individual and family support services are offered through the Office of Work-Life.
To find more information about these services, visit: https://www.dcms.uscg.mil/Our-Organization/
Assistant-Commandant-for-Human-Resources-CG-1/Health-Safety-and-Work-Life-CG-11/Office-of-Work-
Life-CG-111/Employee-Assistance-Program-EAP.
   c. If you are concerned about a serious mental health issue, including thoughts of suicide,
contact a health care professional. The Military Crisis Line is available at: 800-273-TALK (8255). Call 911 if there is an immediate crisis.
   d. The Military Health System (MHS) Nurse Advice Line is also available 24/7 for urgent care
questions and health care advice. The Nurse Advice Line can be reached at: 800-TRICARE (874-2273).
   e. Chaplains are available with confidential pastoral counseling to ensure service members and
their families have the resilience to cope with the inevitable hardships of military life.
For more information on how to contact your local chaplain, visit:
https://www.uscg.mil/Leaders/Senior-Leadership/Chaplain-of-the-Coast-Guard/Links.
6. Commanding officers and officers-in-charge are strongly encouraged to use this message as a
starting point for unit discussion and education on stress reduction, well-being, resilience, and
help-seeking behavior.
7. Additional POCs are: Employee Assistance Program Coordinators in the local Health, Safety, and
Work-Life (HSWL) Regional Practices, visit: https://www.dcms.uscg.mil/Our-Organization/Assistant-
Commandant-for-Human-Resources-CG-1/Health-Safety-and-Work-Life-CG-11/Office-of-Work-Life-CG-111/Work-Life-Field-Offices/, or the EAP Program Manager, Ms. Adrienne Wright-Williams,
Adrienne.Wright-Williams@uscg.mil.
8. RADM Erica G. Schwartz, Director, Health, Safety, and Work-Life, sends.
9. Internet release authorized.