CALIFORNIA: California Chef Aims to Help Restaurant Workers Prevent Suicide

NPR

A Sacramento chef is working to prevent suicide in the restaurant industry. Patrick Mulvaney is collaborating with Kaiser Permanente, WellSpace Health, and the Steinberg Institute to offer mental health resources to local food service staff. Mulvaney has also hosted suicide prevention trainings for restaurant employees and hopes to set up a website where they can take a mental health assessment and find treatment options. Studies suggest food service workers are at higher risk for mental illness and addiction than the general population. Contributing factors may include difficult work conditions, recreational substance use, and an industry culture that normalizes stress. Chefs across the country are working to address those factors and prevent suicide. “We are storytellers at the end of the day,” said Mulvaney. “And one of our stories is going to be about mental health.”

Spark Extra! Learn how managers can help prevent suicide in the workplace.