Agenda Item Request:
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Authorization of the Public Safety Health and Wellness Reimbursement Fund and Project
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Background and Purpose of Request:
Requestor: Sheriff Kevin Joyce, Sheriff’s Office
Would you spend $849.00 to save $450,000.00? The Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA) estimates the cost of recovery after a heart attack for a public safety employee at $450,000.00.
During the 131st Legislative Session, a bill was brought forth to support Public Safety Health and Wellness. As a result of this support, a pilot project was established to partially fund a Public Safety Health and Wellness project over the next two years.
Through this pilot project the legislature appropriated $2 million to provide to public safety personnel, which includes all fire personnel, EMS personnel, local and county law enforcement, county corrections staff, and communications staff. This is to be distributed statewide through the Maine State Fire Marshal's Office.
Recently, some stakeholders met with the State Fire Marshal to determine how the $2 million should be distributed to public safety personnel throughout the state. It was determined that the only fair way distribute the funding to all of the public safety officers throughout the State of Maine, was to distribute the funds proportionately by each county's population.
A quick look at the available funding shows that not all public safety members in the state will be served.
If successful, the Legislature intends to continue the financial support of this program through the taxes collected on the sale of Cannabis throughout the state.
With the Cumberland County Commissioners’ approval, we would use our portion of the funding for specialized cardiac and metabolic screening that provides a medical consultation and an individualized plan, including nutrition, fitness, and wellness recommendations to the employee when appropriate. The results of the screening and any advice for the continued treatment of identified health issues would be provided to the employee and the employee's physician. Testing would include the following:
• An advanced lipid panel, including a cardiac inflammatory biomarker analysis
• Screening for liver and kidney function
• Screening for thyroid, prostate and other cancers or diseases that are prevalent among first responders at a higher rate than the civilian population, such as diabetes
• Cardiologist-guided, public safety-specific, cardio-metabolic stress testing
Presentation: Yes
Funding Amount and Source:
The cost of this metabolic testing and screening is $849.00 per employee. The process for payment is as follows: Payment is made per person to SIGMA Tactical Medical after the testing, which we hope will be completed prior to February 28, 2026 as leftover money will be distributed to other public safety entities. It is our hope that the county will support this initiative and cover the initial costs. Then reimbursement, including all invoices and proof of payment, will be requested through the Westbrook Fire Department who will work with the Maine State Fire Marshal to fully reimburse Cumberland County for their expenditure.
Katelyn Seavey, who I have chosen to coordinate this project, created an anonymous survey that was sent to all corrections, law enforcement, and dispatch employees. The anonymous survey revealed a good amount of general interest in the program, however, the interest decreased significantly when an employee copay was added to stretch the funding. Therefore, it was decided to fund the entire program for a limited number of employees on a first come first served basis. The funding for Cumberland County is broken down as follows:
• Communications; $10,288.96 (approximately 12 employees)
• Corrections: $30,866.88 (approximately 36 employees)
• Law Enforcement: $21,968.16 (approximately 25 employees)
Effective Date if Applicable:
November 17, 2025