Organizational Wellness Frequently Asked Questions

1. How much money will agencies receive from this program?

   Agencies will not receive any monetary disbursements from this program. The POST Organizational Wellness Program is designed to provide resources and services to agencies looking to create a wellness program or enhance their current offerings. Please read this information for information on wellness funding from the Bureau of State and Community Corrections (BSCC). If you have received or are planning to receive funding for wellness from BSCC, POST and UCSD are available to provide guidance and programming to support your agency. If interested, please email Wellness@post.ca.gov.

2. How do we apply?

   All POST participating agencies are encouraged to apply. Applications are required for participation in the program and accepted on a continuous basis. 

3. If the application window closes, does my agency need to reapply?

   As of January 1, 2024, the application window is continuously open. Applications are required for participation in the program. Agencies will be onboarded in order of acceptance date and sorted into cohorts for the Organizational Wellness Coordinator Course presentations. 

4. How are agencies selected to participate in the POST Organizational Wellness Program?

   Submitted applications are reviewed and vetted by POST staff. Selected POST-participating agencies will be onboarded in order of acceptance date and sorted into cohorts for the Organizational Wellness Coordinator Course presentation. 

5. How will my agency be notified of our application status?

   Immediately upon submission, the applicant will receive an auto-generated response, indicating your application was received by POST (see following question for further).

6. When will my agency be notified that we have been selected?

   Selected agencies will be notified of their status within fourteen (14) calendar days of their application submission. This is to allow for a comprehensive review of all applications received.

7. If my agency is selected, what does the process look like?

   The listed point of contact from the POWR application will receive correspondence from POST staff, indicating their status. This is followed by a thorough onboarding process, which includes a video dialogue with a member from POST and a member from UCSD - Centers for Integrative Health. This is essential to the customization and implementation of the organizational wellness program at your respective agency. The selected agency will then coordinate with UCSD - Centers for Integrative Health and POST staff for program deployment. Agencies will be asked to appoint one or more Organizational Wellness Coordinators to lead the agency-specific program and attend the Organizational Wellness Coordinator Course.

8. What's offered in the program?

   This program offers resources and guidance to agencies seeking to develop an organizational wellness program that is meaningful to their sworn and non-sworn personnel. Your Organizational Wellness Coordinator(s) will be trained and introduced to wellness options that are at the forefront of treatment practices for first responders and those affected by post-traumatic stress injuries (PTSI).

9. Will POST assign someone to the agency if that agency approves the grant?

   Although this process may have similarities to the grant award process, the POST Organizational Wellness Program is not a grant. This program is designed to provide agencies with guidance and resources as they pertain to organizational wellness. POST will work in conjunction with UCSD - Centers for Integrative Health in providing guidance to the agency head and command staff and make recommendations when determining who will be the agency’s Organizational Wellness Coordinator(s). 

10. What do agencies need to provide besides submitting an application?

    Nothing. Once the applicant receives a confirmation email indicating the application has been received, that is all that is needed for this part of the process.

11. Will we be provided information on what needs to be reported?

    Yes. The agency will receive clear and specific instructions from POST staff and UCSD - Centers for Integrative Health staff on what is needed for any reporting purposes.

12. How does the POST Organizational Wellness Program pair with the Board of State and Community Corrections (BSCC) funds being disbursed to agencies?

    The POST Organizational Wellness Program is concurrent but distinct from the BSCC funding. These funds are separate from the POST Organizational Wellness Program; however they can be used to offset agency costs during the sustainability phase once an agency's involvement in the program has concluded. Agencies are not awarded monies through the POST Organizational Wellness Program. (Refer to question 1) The main difference between the POST Organizational Wellness Program and the BSCC wellness funds is that the BSCC funds can only be used for sworn staff pursuant to PC 830.1, whereas the POST Organizational Wellness Program offers mentorship and resources through the UCSD Centers for Integrative Health to develop wellness programs for the entire organization (sworn/non-sworn).

13. Can agencies apply the BSCC funds toward the plan agreed upon while a part of the POST Organizational Wellness Program?

    Yes. Agencies can absolutely allocate the BSCC funds toward the plan identified and agreed upon while working alongside POST and UCSD - Centers for Integrative Health. Refer to the BSCC provided final impact reporting guide should your agency elect to pursue this direction. (Refer to question 13)

14. I'm completing the application for my agency. How do I save the in-progress application?

    In an effort to minimize duplicate entries in error, the application does not have a save feature. In the event applicants need to postpone their entry until a later time, it’s recommended that responses to the narrative based questions are saved onto a Word document for subsequent copy/paste.

15. How is all this data being used by POST? "I'm concerned that sensitive information might be released in program reports or some type of media release. This could increase stress or problems for those needing help."

    Information collected during POST/UCSD’s collaboration with agencies will aid in furnishing a scientifically validated report identifying methodologies for incorporating, retooling or bolstering wellness programs within the law enforcement community. This report will be prepared by the end of calendar year 2025. POST and UCSD-CIH are committed to ensuring the utmost care is given to establish a transparent relationship with our law enforcement professionals. Each agency and its participants will have a thorough understanding of any data collected and its purpose. Any data to be recorded will only be collected subsequent to their expressed consent. We understand that security and privacy for our law enforcement professionals is a large part of their wellness, and it is our mission to ensure they have our confidence and trust in any pieces of information we seek to collect.

    It is the policy of UC San Diego Health (UCSDH) to protect the privacy and security of its information resources in a manner commensurate with the criticality, sensitivity, and value to UCSDH and its clients while ensuring the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the information to authorized users in a manner consistent with UCSDH business, patient care and mission in the most efficient, effective manner. It is further the policy of UCSDH to provide physical and logical access, and use of information resources and data consistent with applicable State and Federal laws and regulations, and University policies.

    UCSDH complies with the HIPAA Security Rule's general requirements for information security:

    • Ensure the confidentiality, integrity and availability of confidential information;
    • Protect the information against reasonable anticipated threats or hazards to the security or integrity of the information;
    • Protect against any reasonably anticipated unauthorized uses and disclosures of confidential information; and
    • Ensure compliance by workforce members.

    More on Information Security as it relates to the POST Organizational Wellness Program.