Arlington police given free access to mental health services
ARLINGTON, Texas - The Arlington Police Department wants its officers to stay healthy in body and mind. It’s offering them no-cost mental health services.
The Blue Chip Program provides confidential mental health counseling to all Arlington police officers.
“It’s completely anonymous and the department is saying to these service providers just take care of our employees. Send us a bill. We’ll take care of it no questions asked,” said Chief Will Johnson.
The police chief said some officers who may need to talk to someone often do not because of the stigma. He hopes this program can change that.
“The research is pretty clear. Most of the time when people get help this is a short term impact on them and with the appropriate level of support they can get past it and can continue to move on and serve well,” Johnson said.
Each employee is given a blue chip with information that tells them where to turn for help.