CDCR’s commitment to employee wellness
At the Office of Employee Wellness (OEW), conversations revolving around wellness occur every day. You may have even had a few of these conversations yourself. But, who should you ask if you have questions? Your mental, physical, emotional, and financial wellness affect every aspect of your life. Along these lines, OEW offers resources to support you and your family when you find yourself in need.
Staff at OEW are here and ready to assist with wellness needs for you or your eligible family members. OEW’s mission is to provide a safe, accessible, and connective space for proactive wellness support, education, and resources.
OEW serves CDCR, California Correctional Health Care Services, and Department of Juvenile Justice employees and their families.
Who works at OEW?
OEW is a multi-disciplinary team consisting of trauma informed mental health clinicians, custody and administrative staff. They share a common goal: quickly and confidentially providing or connecting employees and their families to supportive services. These services are only available for staff and their families. OEW does not provide any services to the incarcerated population, parolees, wards or their families.
The mental health team currently consists of three psychologists and two licensed clinical social workers.
The office also has a Correctional Lieutenant, Correctional Sergeant, two Correctional Officers, one Staff Services Manager III, and three analysts.
OEW is continually growing and evolving to bring you the most well-rounded support possible.
*To learn more about members of the OEW Team, check out the OEW column in the CDCR Wellness App.
What we do
OEW oversees several departmental programs such as:
- CDCR Wellness app
- Peer Support Program
- Employee Assistance Program
- Law Enforcement & Community Services
- California Chaplain Corps
- Other departmental wellness initiatives.
Program details
Each program is confidential and available to all staff members and their families, free of charge.
- CDCR Wellness App provides 24/7 confidential access to correctional wellness tools and resources for employees, their families and retirees. The app is a comprehensive toolkit for physical, mental, emotional, and financial wellness. Also, fitness and nutrition-related videos and content, as well as direct access to all Departmental resources listed below, are offered. The CDCR Wellness app can be found in the Apple App or Google Play stores. All state-issued phones are pre-loaded with the app.
- Peer Support Program (PSP) provides an empathic ear, facilitating pathways to professional help. Support teams are available at each CDCR location. Trained volunteer custody and non-custody staff help employees in a time of need. For more information, contact your local PSP Administrator or Leader, founding in the PSP section of CDCR Wellness app or PSP internet page.
- The Law Enforcement & Community Services, California Chaplain Corps offers confidential law enforcement focused support, providing 24/7 crisis incident stress management. They also offer post-trauma stress services to employees and their families. There are no fees or co-pays associated with this program. Also, all communication between chaplains, employees and dependents are protected pursuant to the California Evidence Code, Sections 1030-1034. Reach them at (916) 365-2273.
- Employee Assistance Program offers employees and their eligible family dependents confidential, no-cost assistance anytime you need assistance. The program provides a variety of services such as in-person or virtual clinical counseling, financial and legal consultations, child and elderly care discounts and more. Learn more by calling EAP at 1-866-327-4762 or visit www.eap.calhr.ca.gov.
- Wellness Education is offered through OEW monthly statewide e-mails. These highlight wellness-related topics, webinars, and presentations. Also, OEW oversees training content for Staff Suicide Awareness, Basic Correctional Officer Academy Stress Resiliency, and Wellness and Stress Resiliency.
Learn more about the Office of Employee Wellness
OEW, and its affiliated programs, are here for you and your families. For available resources, visit www.cdcr.ca.gov/wellness/, download the CDCR Wellness app, or e-mail OEW at CDCRWellness@cdcr.ca.gov.
Janette Williams, Associate Governmental Program Analyst
Office of Employee Wellness