According to a 2016 report by the Veterans Association, the suicide rate is 1.5 times greater for veterans than for non-veteran adults.  Similarly, in 2017, the number of suicide deaths by firefighters, EMTs and police officers outnumbered all line of duty deaths. The “Wellness for Warriors” program, which was established in 2016, is an enduring mission available to active duty military, veterans, first responders and their families.  The goal is to transcend the boundaries of public safety and military organizations, to connect members and families to community and peer to peer supports.  “Wellness for Warriors”, in partnership with CoxHealth, has created the Wellness for Warriors Fitness Center Program to address these issues.  The “Wellness for Warriors” Fitness Center Program meets every Friday morning from 9 to 10 AM at the Meyer Fitness Center.  These sessions include guest speakers and discussions regarding resiliency, as well as mental and physical wellness.  At present, “Wellness for Warriors” continues to average one intervention per week for active duty military, vets and first responders in crisis.  If you have questions, would like to help, or are in search of help, please contact the Wellness for Warriors team at (417) 269-3282 or [email protected]

Support the “Wellness for Warriors” program with a hot cup of delicious gourmet coffee. Crafted to benefit “Wellness for Warriors”, you can purchase a 12 ounce bag of the W4W coffee. It is a delicious Guatemala Blend, medium roast coffee with a dark chocolate and almond note. A 12oz bag is $12 and can be purchased through the CoxHealth Foundation at this link. Put W4W coffee in the text box. CoxHealth employees can purchase it through the 1906 Employee Store. $3.00 of each bag supports the “Wellness for Warrior” initiatives.