New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced a collaboration with the Department of Defense -- led by his wife First Lady Chirlane McCray -- to help fight "combat stress" among healthcare workers on the frontlines of the coronavirus pandemic.
The press release provided only vague information regarding the specifics of the program -- it will "tailor elements of the DoD's combat stress management and resilience program for military personnel into needs assessments and a webinar training series." And it will be available by the end of the month.
But the press release included no input from the DoD. No further information on the program was available. Connecting Vets reached out to various Department of Defense officials for more details on the collaboration and was unable to confirm the existence of the program.
The release did quote ThriveNYC, however, McCray's New York City mental health initiative -- which lost track of much of the first $850 million it was awarded by McCray's husband in 2015.
Last week, New York saw its first healthcare worker die by suicide. Dr. Lorna Breen was a top emergency room doctor at New York-Presbyterian Allen Hospital. Her father told the New York Times that "she tried to do her job, and it killed her."
Mental health professionals have said that Breen will not be the last. Healthcare workers are facing extreme emotional stress levels in the fight against COVID-19 -- not dissimilar to war, McCray and De Blasio both said.
"Our city's medical professionals are laboring long days and nights under extraordinary circumstances, caring for our families and loved ones. It’s a different kind of war, but they are truly soldiers," McCray said in the press release. "As they continue caring for New Yorkers, we must care for them and their well-being. Their service goes beyond anything we could have asked for, and their mental health needs should not be overlooked. This partnership will ensure our healthcare workers on the frontlines have the support they need, now and after this crisis."
“Our frontline heroes are fighting a war on two fronts,” the mayor said in the same release. “They have been through so much to protect their fellow New Yorkers, and we will not allow them to shoulder the mental toll of this pandemic alone. To those who are struggling: your city hears you, we see you, and help is on the way.”
Certainly, then, the Department of Defense, with decades of experience on the frontlines, would be the right agency to turn to for a partnership on mental health. But, so far DoD hasn't confirmed such a partnership.
Connecting Vets also contacted the mayor's office, the first lady's office and ThriveNYC but did not immediately receive a response.
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Reach Elizabeth Howe on Twitter @ECBHowe.
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