Through a partnership between NAMI (National Alliance for Mental Illness) Finger Lakes NY and the Department of Emergency Response, Overwatch Peer Support (OPS) is coming to Tompkins County to serve first responders and their families.
After months of planning, NAMI North Texas OPS founder Officer Todd Gyure of the Garland Police Department and Overwatch Peer Support Coordinator Detective Michelle Horridge of the Flower Mound (TX) Police Department were in Ithaca October 5th and 6th leading a team of dedicated individuals through the 16-hour OPS Basic Training class.
"Together, Officer Gyure and Detective Horridge have over four decades of service in law enforcement and are champions of first responder mental health," said DoER Peer Support Coordinator Danielle Schwarz. "We are beyond grateful to have the opportunity to bring a chapter of Overwatch Peer Support to serve our first responders here in Tompkins County. Day in and day out they put their lives on the line protecting and serving our communities and now we will have the capability to say you no longer need to walk through the darkness on your own. We anticipate a full launch of the program in the Spring of 2025."
NAMI North Texas states that "OPS is committed to serving all first responders, not just those in North Texas. As we saw the increasing use of our program, we recognized the opportunity to collaborate with other NAMI affiliates. This partnership with NAMI Finger Lakes is the first step in reaching that goal."
OPS provides confidential peer support to all first responders and will work hand in hand with the Critical Incident Stress Management Team led by DoER EMS Manager Joe Milliman. In the coming months, CISM Team members will be receiving skills training from the OPS-certified instructors.
The CISM Team will be activated for a specific incident and assist with short-term crisis response to help individuals with traumatic events. Peer support from OPS will focus on long-term recovery and provide further support to individuals. Neither CISM nor OPS is intended to be a substitute for counseling with a culturally competent provider.
Please contact Danielle Schwarz at dschwarz@tompkins-co.org if you'd like more information or to discuss scheduling training for your organization.
(l.-r.)Todd Gyure, Danielle Schwarz, and Michelle Horridge at the OPS instructor training class.
Some of the new OPS leaders in the jurisdiction of NAMI Finger Lakes NY
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