NEW YORK: As NYPD Suicides Rise, City to Provide Officers Free Mental Health Care
November 22, 2019
New York City police officers will have free access to mental health care, including counseling and medication. To address recent suicide deaths on the force, the city police department and New York-Presbyterian Hospital are collaborating on the program, called Finest Care. According to a recent report by the National Institute of Justice, policing is among the most stressful jobs, and officers are often reluctant to seek help for fear of damaging their reputations or careers. “Our officers are supposed to be strong—that’s what they’ve been told,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “And a lot of times, the biggest challenge is for officers to know it’s OK to need help yourself.”
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