The On Guard Initiative

The On Guard Initiative was established in 2012 by Bryanna Mellen and Julie Broderick. The organization is dedicated to raising awareness about the importance of mental health and suicide prevention among correction officers.

On August 25th, 2011, Bryanna’s father committed suicide at age 46 after 22 years of working as a correction officer for the state of Massachusetts. After this, Bryanna and Julie discovered that correction officers are 39% more likely than any other occupation to commit suicide, and their life expectancy is only 58 years old. In response to these alarming statistics they decided to gather a team together and start raising awareness about what has been described as an “epidemic”.

visit our website for more information on what On Guard has to offer: www.onguardinitiative.org