Mental Health Matters: Community Foundation of Jackson Hole takes over management of TIPS

Jackson, Wyo. — In a sign of its success and value to the Jackson Hole community, management of Teton Interagency Peer Support, commonly known as TIPS, is being moved from Teton County Search & Rescue Foundation to the Community Foundation of Jackson Hole. This means that all future administration and fundraising will go through the Community Foundation, which is in an excellent position to run the program for several coordinating agencies.

The Stress Continuum is yet one tool that TIPS uses as a mental health check-in.

"TIPS provides a critical support system for our local first responders, who are experiencing a range of traumatic experiences in service to our community," Community Foundation President Laurie Andrews said. "The Community Foundation's Behavioral Health Initiative's administration of TIPS will ensure that our first responders continue to receive the support services they need."

TIPS began in the fall of 2018. At the time, local first responders were becoming aware that stress injuries could occur in the field, but they didn’t have the tools or network to adequately treat them. Acceptance of this issue made it clear that stress injuries needed treatment programs similar to physical injuries, and that simply ‘toughing it out’ could do lasting damage to a person and their relationships. TIPS was born to better serve local first responders by providing a network of mental health support. 

In 2022 alone, TIPS provided 1,500 peer support connections and access to 324 sessions with mental health professionals. 

"The TIPS program has been instrumental in elevating the importance of supporting our fellow first responders after traumatic rescues occur,” said TCSAR volunteer Ethan Lobdell. “TIPS seeks to establish a safety net for our friends and family members who make up the first responder community. Its goal is to make sure none of us succumbs to the negative mental health outcomes that can be associated with exposure to traumatic events. Our community is stronger, our futures brighter, and our first responder teams more prepared to engage with the critical work they do because of the TIPS support program."

TIPS has also provided the base programming for psychological first aid, allowing first responders all over the valley to be trained to help those involved in accidents to understand stress injuries and how and when they may affect you.  

TIPS, which serves all first responders in Teton County, Wyo., is funded by a combination of private donations and through funding commitments by the cooperating agencies. 

For more information on the program or to see how you can support TIPS, please visit www.tetontips.com.  

The announcement of TIPS coincides with May being recognized as Mental Health Awareness Month, a nationwide initiative intended to raise the importance of mental health while removing the stigma surrounding it. For more information, visit the National Alliance on Mental Illness.

New Episode from The Fine Line podcast: An Honest Conversation about Mental Health

In Episode 41 from The Fine Line, Laura McGladrey and Nick Armitage discuss stress injuries and psychological first aid for first responders. They also explain the Stress Continuum, and how the 3-3-3 approach is a useful tool for helping others address mental health.

This episode is sponsored by Roadhouse Brewing Co. Thanks to Roadhouse for their support of this podcast and backcountry safety in Jackson Hole.

Even if you are not a first responder, this conversation will be relevant and relatable on many different levels, and touches on life in mountain towns (guess what, not always powder days and bliss), stress depletion, and how each of us can be more intentional with our ‘green choices.’

GTNP Ranger Nick Armitage and psychiatric nurse practitioner Laura McGladrey. Photo: Matt Hansen/TCSAR Foundation

McGladrey has become a leading and outspoken proponent of addressing mental health among first responders. She has instructed NOLS Wilderness Medicine for the past 20 years and is a Nurse Practitioner with dual certification, practicing both emergency medicine and psychiatry across the lifespan. She is currently in the Emergency Department and the Stress Trauma Adversity Research and Treatment (START) Center with expertise in trauma support for Emergency, Wilderness, and frontline workers. She has a background in international and relief work on Psychological First Aid and Stress Injuries. She is the Stress and Resilience advisor for Portland Mountain Rescue and Eldora Ski Patrol, and works with teams throughout the U.S. following critical incidents and fatalities. She is the founder and director of Responder Alliance, and works closely with avalanche educators, guides and forecasters supporting both incidents and stress and resilience planning.

Armitage is a ranger in the Jenny Lake District of Grand Teton National Park. Prior to becoming a year-round ranger four years ago, he was a seasonal climbing ranger in the Jenny Lake District for eight summers. He has also worked as a USFS wildland firefighter and been a ski patroller at Big Sky, Montana. As a local first responder, he is instrumental in providing peer support for his colleagues.

Responder Alliance is an excellent resource for additional information, and can help teams establish programs to build resilience. Teton Interagency Peer Support (TIPS) provides mental health services for first responders and their families in Teton County, and can provide guidance for teams around the country establish similar programs. MentalHealthJH.com is another great resource for Jackson Hole residents.

“Peer Support: Mental Health and First Responders” airs at 2 p.m. on KHOL 89.1 FM on Thursday, Sept. 30, and then can be streamed on Apple, Spotify, and SoundCloud.