Worker Wellness Blog
Date Posted: March 17, 2026
Posted In: Discussion, Workforce,
by Dr. John Gaal
This week’s edition of our Worker Wellness blog offers us an update on the “Havana Syndrome’; to how pain impacts women differently than men; to insights from Gabor and Bessel on trauma.
Focal Point: This week I wish to briefly discuss with our readers two major issues: Recent Suicide deaths connected to the construction industry and Apprenticeships.
1) Sadly, to my knowledge our industry lost three young adults to suicide this past week…two of these three people were from the STL region. Make no mistake, how we—as a community—respond to each of these deaths has lasting impacts beyond our immediate comprehension! Research suggests that one suicide death touches 135 people who knew this person from near and afar. Considering that the USA loses nearly 50K people each year to suicide, we compound those lasting wounds by ~6 million people annually…that roughly represents 1/3 of the US population over the past 20 years. When it comes to after-care (aka Postvention), we NOW know better and must NOW do better. To this end, please consider joining me in a 2-hour Suicide Postvention training session this Wednesday.[1]
2) Many of you know that I spent the majority of my career in the construction industry (1978-2019) dealing with apprenticeship, training, and workforce development issues. I was blessed to have traveled to ~12 countries to study their workforce training systems. In the early 2010s, I served on the Harvard GSE’s Pathways to Prosperity project to grow apprenticeships in the US. President Obama’s administration was the first to dedicate serious attention to the registered apprenticeship training system since FDR in 1937. In Trump’s first term, he attempted to dilute and damage our time-honored system by creating a parallel system called IRAPs under the US-DOL’s Office of Apprenticeship. Fortunately, President Biden quickly put an end to this potential boondoggle within days of assuming office in 2021. Well, guess what? Trump is at it again via deceptive language (i.e., reducing administrative barriers, enhancing transparency, etc.). While I am no longer involved in this arena, I cannot help but still weigh-in: Beware of the wolf in sheep’s clothing.[2]
Sources:
[1] https://uthealthsa.zoomgov.com/meeting/register/DGp-5cI7T_q7CIGF62Q5Pw#/registration
[2] https://www.dol.gov/newsroom/releases/eta/eta20260309
Additional Links to Check Out
Decisions: Why Smart People Struggle
How TBIs & Chronic Pain Influence Suicidal Ideation
Update: Starbucks Workers Union
DOGE / SSN Data / Whistleblower
Trump / Latin America / Cartels
Joe McD: History Repeats Itself
Professors / AI / Critical Thinking
Update: US-DOL Apprenticeships
NFLers Decry White House Bombing Mix
Upcoming webinars, etc.:
Suicide Postvention Training (3/18)
Cannabis & Psychedelics (3/24)
Rural Health & Community Awareness (3/24)
Addressing Educator Burnout (3/31)
Lean Construction in HC (5/21)
Link between TBIs & Mental Health
NOTE: The links provided above are for informational purposes only. None of these serve as a substitute for medical advice one should obtain from his/her own primary care physician and/or mental health professional. Please contact Dr. John Gaal, Chief Learning Officer, at stlbtwc@gmail.com with related questions or comments.