By Trina A. San Agustin
Variety News Staff

THE Guam Police Department is taking every step possible to keep its employees healthy. In doing so, they held a health seminar all day yesterday at the New Covenant Church in Tamuning.
GPD acting chief Paul Suba told Variety that the department decided to hold the seminar in response to the recent deaths of police officers due to health problems.
“Four died of heart issues—heart attack and heart disease. A lieutenant is now recovering from a quadruple bypass, and another recruit was sent to the states for treatment of kidney problems,” Suba said.
However, Suba said health problems affect not only GPD but other members of the community as well.
“Diabetes is on the rise and it’s been a long time coming that the department get back on a health program. It used to have one as part of a general requirement to conduct annual fitness training and testing,” Suba said. “If we were to conduct a test now, we would have big problems because some of the officers may not even survive the test itself. This is a situation we have to take seriously.”
Suba said the department has also been holding immunization clinics with the help of Public Health officials.
“We have the flu shots and the vaccinations, but this seminar is going to get to the heart of the problem and that is by leading a healthy lifestyle— eating the right foods and making it a lifestyle,” he added.
This would help relieve officer’s stress, Suba said, adding that a person who takes care of his body and eats healthy food would be able to cope with stress better.
“We are going to conduct other courses for our staff, including those that deal with stress matters, emotions, and mental situation that we encounter daily. When we have to respond to everyone else’s crisis, it wears on us,” he added.
Suba added, “Those who learn something from this seminar will become a part of a training plan that will be passed on to others in the department. Looking at the roster, there are only 33, and that includes personnel from the Department of Corrections and some other agencies,” said Suba.
He said GPD will participate in future health seminars.
“This is like the pilot project. It is also in line with Lt. Gov. Mike Cruz’s government-wide health initiative,” he added.
Suba said healthier GPD employees are expected to serve the public better.
“If we don’t continue this, we are not going to see people in the work place doing their job without stress and the illnesses that they are experiencing. There will be more people reporting to work healthy and have clear minds, allowing them to function a lot better and be able to produce the service that the community demands and expects,” he added.