11/24/2025
This past week we held our DFW First Responders Support Network meeting. The topic: First Responder Health and Wellness covering nutrition, physical health and supplements, sleep, physical therapy, and physical/mental resilience.
This meeting was directly requested by some of our police officers who wanted to know ways to take care of their Physical Health in order to improve their Mental Health. And I'm excited to say it was a fantastic discussion with tons of resources!
Our panel:
Michelle Brooks, Fire Captain/Paramedic, Certified Personal Trainer and Nutrition Coach who discussed the importance of nutrition and hydration.
Jesse Tucker, Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner with Carencia who shared about our overall health and how and when supplements can positively impact or help.
Dr. Marc Kruse, Staff Psychologist for the Austin Fire and Austin-Travis County EMS Departments, who discussed the impact of limited sleep on PTSD, depression, and anxiety and ways to improve our sleep.
Dr. Leah Bortnick, Doctor of Physical Therapy who discussed the importance of caring for ourselves before and after injuries and brought awareness to traumatic brain injuries and how they can often mimic Mental Health diagnostics.
Dr. Kelly Guidry, PhD, LPC-S with the Readiness Group who shared about physical resilience and ways to both mentally and physically care for our overall well-being.
Key Takeaway: When we take care of our bodies, our nutrition, our physical health and well-being, and especially our sleep and hydration, we can dramatically impact our mental health for the positive.
Special thanks to Dallas Police Department's Officer Wellness unit for hosting this meeting. And to Alex and Vickye with All Points North for sponsoring this meeting with a truly delicious breakfast spread!
If you are a first responder or a mental health provider who works with this population, please join our private FB group and you will be able to view this meeting!
