By Luke Peteley
Staten Island Advance, N.Y.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — Gov. Kathy Hochul has announced that up to $2 million will be made available to expand suicide prevention efforts for the military and first responders.
These prevention efforts, facilitated by respective agencies and organizations, will be bolstered through funding by the CARES UP initiative, administered through the New York Office of Mental Health’s (OMH) Suicide Prevention Center of New York.
The CARES UP program provides each agency or organization with $30,000 annually over two years in an effort to strengthen and improve wellness programming. With Thursday’s announcement, Hochul has essentially doubled funding for the program in the FY 2025 State Budget, increasing it to $2 million annually. Additionally, OMH has expanded eligibility of the program to emergency dispatchers.
“Our service members and first responders encounter a tremendous amount of trauma and stress on the job, and that can take its toll on their mental wellbeing,” Hochul said. “Funding through the CARES UP initiative is helping organizations and agencies across the state to incorporate resilience and mental wellness into their programming, ensuring these individuals can access the help and support they so rightfully deserve and need.”
According to Hochul’s office, studies have shed light on the critical nature of the matter, as uniformed personnel are at a greater risk of suicide, given the stress and trauma so commonplace in these professions. One study published in 2018 and referenced by the governor’s office revealed that first responders were more likely to lose their life to suicide than in the line of duty.
The same concerning risk extends to New York veterans, who die to suicide at a rate nearly twice that of civilians; a rate that has largely gone unaltered since 2012.
In an effort to combat these grim figures, the Suicide Prevention Center provides training from national subject matter experts to first responder agencies. For some, these efforts can mean purchasing mental health or wellness apps for their staff and families, hosting wellness training and expanding internal peer support resources.
CARES UP also provides grants to veterans’ organizations via Onward Ops. Organizations which receive funding use the support to promote the social welfare of veterans re-entering their communities once their tour of duty ends.
“Each day, 22 veterans tragically take their own lives, underscoring the urgent need to address the mental health crisis within the veteran community,” State Sen. Jessica Scarcella-Spanton said. “As chair of the Veterans, Homeland Security, and Military Affairs Committee in the New York Senate — and as the wife of an Army veteran — I have witnessed firsthand the immense challenges our veterans face when they return home from deployment. I also understand the heavy toll on our first responders, who risk their lives daily to protect and save others, often at the expense of their own mental health.”
Hochul’s call to action through this funding is an important step in addressing this crisis, she said.
“By reducing the stigma surrounding suicide and expanding support for at-risk veterans and first responders, New York is leading the way,” she said. “The $2 million in funding through the Cares Up initiative will empower agencies and organizations to strengthen suicide prevention efforts and develop wellness programs that make a lasting difference in the lives of those who serve our communities and nation.”
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