Denver Department of Public Safety outlines employee wellness, mental-health and physical-therapy programs to council

Rene Macias, director of Employee Wellness for the Department of Public Safety, told the Denver City Council Health & Safety Committee on Sept. 17 that the department’s consolidated wellness work — including a six‑person physical therapy team, mental‑health contracts and peer‑support clinical supervision — aims to support employees “from pre‑hire to retirement.”

The briefing, requested after council members and staff raised concerns about recent reductions in available counseling hours and several deaths by suicide among safety personnel, outlined program components, use rates, demonstrated cost savings from the in‑house physical therapy program and budget pressures that could reduce services. Daryl Watts, chair of the Health & Safety Committee and a councilmember for District 9, opened the meeting and thanked staff for the data, saying, “Each of those data points, that's a person working for the city and their family.”

Macias described the program’s structure and partnerships with risk management and human resources. The Department of Public Safety (DOS) employs six physical therapists — two assigned to each of the major agencies (police, fire and sheriff) — who provide direct‑access care, academy support, exercise programming and peer‑support clinical functions. Macias said the department recorded roughly $5.7 million in cost savings to the city in 2023 from the in‑house physical therapy program and estimated $3.2 million in cumulative savings since 2017, with an additional $6.3 million in overtime savings from faster return‑to‑work outcomes.

“We set the standard, in the industry,” Macias said of the physical therapy program, adding that other jurisdictions routinely contact Denver about its model. Physical therapist Sarah Grama described changes at the Fire Academy: “We implemented the 6 week EMS upfront that allowed for a 6 week ramp up of their physical fitness as they led into the academy,” she said, and reported a sharp drop in academy injuries and lost workdays after the change.

Mental and emotional resiliency formed the largest portion of the briefing. Macias said DOS had used a DOLA (Department of Local Affairs) grant to implement Code 4 rapid‑response clinicians after a 2023 officer‑involved shooting, and that the contracted provider Nicoletti Flater serves as the clinical supervisor for peer support and provides individual and family counseling. Macias said the DOS clinicians can often be made available within hours, which she contrasted with two‑to‑three month waits sometimes experienced through private insurance.

Emily Locke, legislation and policy director supporting the Department of Public Safety, told the committee the statewide voter initiative known as Proposition 1 30 is being implemented by the Colorado Department of Public Safety and that — based on the implementation rules in development — “mental health and wellness specifically is not going to be an allowable source to be able to utilize those funds.”

Council members questioned recent declines in counseling hours and whether reduced contract capacity could be linked to staff not accessing services. Councilmember Sedena Gonzalez Gutierrez and others noted concerns about suicide among recruits and recent academy graduates. Macias said DOS averages about three to four deaths by suicide annually across safety personnel and described efforts to change workplace culture to better recognize warning signs and connect employees to resources earlier.

Use and access details presented by DOS staff included: about six percent of the Fire Department workforce uses DOS mental‑health services; Denver Police averages roughly 152 clients (including employee family members) and an 8.3% utilization rate; deputies in the sheriff’s department averaged about 31 clients and 55 counseling hours per month in the data shown; Denver 9‑1‑1 dispatchers were the highest utilizers overall. Macias said counseling hours and clinical use have roughly doubled for DOS since 2018.

Council members pressed on funding and the program’s sustainability. Councilmember Amanda Sawyer pointed to the city budget and noted a roughly $150,000 reduction in the Department of Public Safety’s “mental health and programs” line for the next budget year; Macias said that change may reflect a grant timing issue and agreed to follow up at the scheduled budget hearing. Councilmember Flynn said the department had at times relied on private donations, grants and insurance contributions to cover costs but that those sources are becoming less reliable.

Presenters and clinicians in the audience underscored that physical‑health touchpoints often reveal mental‑health needs. Amy Camargo, a DOS physical therapist at the downtown detention center, said, “that mental health piece is so important to our department,” describing how patients disclose emotional distress during physical therapy sessions and how therapists frequently provide front‑line support and referrals.

The briefing concluded without formal action; committee members directed staff to provide further budget detail at the upcoming budget hearing and to continue monitoring service utilization and funding options. Watts encouraged members of the public to watch the department’s budget hearing on Channel 8 the following Tuesday.