Published on July 18, 2022.

ALBANY, NY – The New York State Sheriffs’ Association (NYSSA) is launching an innovative statewide health and wellness program available to all 58 New York County Sheriff’s Offices.

The new program comes as 177 first responders across the country committed suicide last year and rates of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression and anxiety among public safety and law enforcement workers far exceed rates in the general population.

“Public safety often involves great risk and personal sacrifice — and New York City’s deputies, law enforcement officers, 9-1-1 dispatchers and command personnel are no different,” says a press release about the program. “While first responders are dedicated to protecting the public, they often carry their burden and trauma in silence.”

NYSSA and FirstNet — the only nationwide, high-speed, broadband communications platform for America’s first responders and the broader public safety community — believe all sheriff’s officers should have access to the support systems they need to manage stress and cope with grief and depression , anger and other emotions that may stem from the stress of their work.

The new comprehensive health and wellness program, which has been a top priority for the NYSSA in recent years, provides sheriff’s office staff with support and training to manage on-duty stressors and live healthy, balanced lives.

The program includes a four-pronged approach, including: training for employees on work-related crises and trauma, new or improved employee assistance programs, a peer-to-peer confidential hotline available to all sheriff’s office employees statewide, and a public service announcement campaign titled “It’s Ok to not be okay.”

Also read: Rochester launches health and wellness initiative

Sheriff’s office staff receive training from some of New York City’s most respected mental health law enforcement agencies covering topics such as supporting individuals and groups in crisis, advanced crisis intervention and stress management in critical incidents, trauma resource support, PTSD, suicide prevention and dealing with a death fellow officers. Sheriff’s personnel family members are encouraged to participate in various trauma training sessions as appropriate. Sheriff’s leadership personnel also receive special training such as NYLEAP’s Post-Critical Incident Seminar (PCIS). In addition, peer-based training is offered by accredited clinical professionals to help manage stress in a healthy way and manage PTSD, based on a recognized format developed by the FBI.

Special health and wellness training for all school resource officers who are members of the NYSSA Committee on School Policing and Protection (C-PASS) is also being created in response to the increase in incidents of school violence. This training ensures officers are better prepared and have the resources available in the aftermath of the incident. Training for school resource officers will be made available in early 2023.

NYSSA will provide all NYS Sheriff’s Offices with the resources and training to establish new agency-based EAP programs or expand existing programs. Support includes in-person presentations, training sessions for trainers, and meetings with individual Sheriff’s Office employees who act as program leaders to implement a peer-based EAP program. The NYSSA’s goal is for all sheriff’s offices to have their own dedicated EAP, connected through the New York Law Enforcement Assistance Program (NYLEAP) network.

The new EAP resources were developed with expertise from multiple organizations, including NYLEAP, the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS), and Individuals in Crisis and Group Crisis Intervention (ICISF). NYSSA/NYLEAP representatives will visit sheriff’s offices interested in establishing or improving EAP programs and will provide easily accessible digital resources hosted on the association’s website. In addition, the program will pilot a peer-to-peer hotline that all sheriff’s officers and their families can use to anonymously discuss any issues they wish to raise. Sheriff’s personnel from across the state are being trained to staff the hotline, which offers an early intervention program to prevent stress from escalating into distress or worse.

In addition, NYSSA will establish a confidential peer-to-peer hotline staffed by deputy sheriffs and other personnel from across the state to intervene early and prevent stress from escalating or manifesting itself.

Finally, a new PSA campaign will use video and other digital and social platforms to communicate the key message for sheriff’s office staff: “It’s okay not to be okay.” The campaign will publicize the challenges faced first responders face every day, highlighting the impact their service to their community can have on their mental health, and raising sheriff personnel’s awareness of the resources available. The PSA is designed to help those who work in the sheriff’s offices to shed the “be tough and suck it up” personality and accept the reality that it’s important to seek help after a critical incident or traumatic experience and to receive.

The entire program, made possible by AT&T financial and programmatic support, was developed over the past nine months under the direction of current NYSSA President, Livingston County Sheriff Thomas Dougherty; Past President, Washington County Sheriff Jeff Murphy; NYSSA executives; professional training organizations for law enforcement agencies; and sheriff’s personnel from across the state.

“I’m very proud of the New York State Sheriffs’ Association and our partnership, FirstNet, Built with AT&T. This partnership has made it possible to provide our members with the resources necessary for their personal and professional well-being,” Dougherty said in the press release. “The jobs of law enforcement are extremely difficult and the events we deal with are very different from most jobs. These events can result in long-term stored trauma that most first responders don’t talk about due to past culture in the profession. Gone are the days when we pretended these events had no long-term impact on our physical and mental health. As a leader in law enforcement, we have a single-minded focus on changing culture and ending stigma; we want our members to know that “it’s okay not to be okay”; We are here for you and have put together the professional resources to help you.”

Albany County Sheriff Craig Apple, NYSSA 2nd Vice President, added, “As law enforcement officers, our mental health is just as important as our physical health. Supporting the mental health of first responders starts with fighting stigma. Strength, bravery and determination are valued highly – and employees often adopt a “whatever it takes” mentality. This perpetuates the stigma surrounding mental illness – based on the misconception that it is a sign of weakness. Conversations about mental health are often swept under the rug or never spoken out. But the high rates of depression, PTSD, substance use disorders and suicide make it clear that first responders’ mental health needs to be addressed early and often.”

Amy Kramer, President of AT&T New York, said that AT&T and FirstNet are committed to supporting the health and well-being of law enforcement agencies and first responders across the country and are honored and proud to support this important NYSSA well-being initiative for all sheriffs -Offices to support personnel throughout the Empire State. “The rates of PTSD, depression, suicide, and anxiety, among other physical and psychological ailments, among public safety personnel far exceed rates in the general population,” she said in the press release, “and resources like this health and wellness program are needed to protect.” our first responder communities.”

Original article: The New York State Sheriffs’ Association introduces a new health and wellness program