Latest news with #OnwardOps
Yahoo
10-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
NYS offering funding to support veteran, first responder suicide prevention
WATERTOWN, N.Y. (WWTI) – New York Governor Kathy Hochul's office announced the award of 18 grants to expand resiliency and suicide prevention efforts for military veterans and uniformed personnel. These grants will be administered through the New York Office of Mental Health's Suicide Prevention Center of New York, the CARES UP initiative and will provide $60,000 over two years to four law enforcement agencies, three fire departments; three EMS services; three emergency communications organizations; two corrections agencies and three organizations serving veterans. Report: First responders face mental health stigma These grants will help will suicide prevention efforts for law enforcement, firefighters, emergency medical service personnel, correction officers and emergency dispatchers. In addition, the Office of Mental Health also provided awards of $40,000 over two years to 11 organizations previously funded through CARES UP to sustain their mental health and wellness initiatives. These sustainability awards were made possible after the governor's office successfully increased funding for the program in the FY25 Enacted Budget to $3 million annually. It is important to recognize the stress and cumulative trauma first responders and veterans experience as they do their jobs and the toll that this can take on their mental health. CARES UP works with their organizations to mitigate this stress, build resilience and support mental wellbeing. By building and expanding this program, Governor Hochul is demonstrating her commitment to the mental wellness of our veterans, first responders and their families. New York State Office of Mental Health Commissioner Dr. Ann Sullivan The St. Lawrence County Correctional Facility will receive funding from this year's CARES Up grant. The CARES UP program provides organizations with $30,000 annually to increase suicide prevention efforts and wellness programming in their agencies. First responder agencies work closely with the Suicide Prevention Center to receive training from national subject matter experts on topics such as resiliency, mental health and wellness, suicide prevention and peer support and implement agency-specific actions to address their unique needs. The initiative also provides these grants to support veterans' organizations through Onward Ops. Organizations that get the award will use the funding to promote social welfare of service members transitioning back to their communities after their tour of duty ends. According to the announcement from the governor's office, studies have shown the cumulative stress and trauma are common in uniformed personnel professions and have placed these individuals at greater risk of suicide. Department of Veterans Affairs to fund research into psychedelic therapy for PTSD The New York State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services partnered with SUNY New Paltz's Institute for Disaster Mental Health to complete a first responder needs assessment survey of more than 6,000 individuals in law enforcement, emergency medical services, fire services, emergency communications and emergency management from every region to help better understand the challenges. The assessment showed more than half of the participants experience high levels of stress, burnout, anxiety and depression related to their jobs, and that they may not seek help due to their fear of facing stigma. Thoughts of suicide were reported by 16-percent of respondents — a level four times higher than the general population of the state. Likewise, New York veterans die by suicide at a rate nearly two times higher than civilians — a rate that has remained relatively unchanged since 2012. Veterans under the age of 55 consistently experience the highest rates of suicide in New York. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Forbes
03-04-2025
- Business
- Forbes
Recruiting Veterans Can Help Organizations Address Workforce Gaps
Adam Wray is the founder and CEO of AstrumU, a data science startup that translates educational experiences into economic opportunity. getty Approximately 200,000 military service members transition to civilian life annually, and a major part of this change is entering the workforce. These citizens often possess key skills that make them well suited for industries like healthcare, education and technology, such as problem solving, adaptability, discipline and the ability to work with others. However, this talent pool is incredibly underutilized, even as businesses find themselves desperate for skilled, reliable employees in an ever-evolving marketplace. It can be challenging for recruiting teams to fully grasp how military experiences can transfer to a particular role. Consequently, veterans often struggle to find meaningful employment. Between feeling overqualified or unsatisfied, many end up leaving their first post-military job within a year. Some statistics find that as many as 80% leave within two years. This is not a sustainable path. We must do better to match the right career opportunity with the impressive skills each veteran possesses. Fortunately, there are many steps employers can take to ensure they're not dismissing qualified candidates just because they don't understand how military experience can benefit their workforce. Below are some ways to achieve this. There are programs that partner with companies to help veterans find meaningful employment. The DOD SkillBridge Program enables service members to gain civilian work experience through specific training, apprenticeships and internships during their last 180 days of service. Onward Ops—which recently partnered with my organization, AstrumU, to automate its job-matching platform—works to connect transitioning service members with quality employment up to a year before they transition. Actively cultivating strategic partnerships with veteran-focused organizations goes a long way toward supporting a seamless transition into civilian life. Organizations can also attract veterans by reaching out to military bases, participating in veteran job fairs and sharing the posting to veteran-specific job boards. According to Korn Ferry, "nearly 70% of professionals surveyed said their own organizations don't train hiring managers on veteran-specific hiring practices" to ensure they're knowledgeable about the skills and experience veterans offer. Internal training can cover the different branches of military, occupations within the military, honors, awards and terminology. For organizations that already employ veterans, involving them in the training process can also be effective. Ensure hiring teams gain access to key service documents, such as veterans' Joint Services Transcript (JST). Provided by the Department of Defense (DOD), this document translates military schooling and work history into civilian language and provides recommendations based on college credits/certifications earned and skills obtained. There are also records that summarize veterans' military experience, including deployments, assignments and dates of service. One avenue to explore is implementing certain AI-powered technology that helps translate a veteran's military experience into civilian-sector skills. I work in this space, so I've seen how AI tools offer a more reliable, bias-free view of candidates' capabilities. Leveraging advanced algorithms allows hiring teams to better identify veteran candidates' fit for their workplace. Generated profiles outline each individual's professional abilities, skills learned from military service and other work experience, and completed education, including trainings and certifications. Hard and soft skills are synthesized so recruiting teams can better interpret experience in things like operations, adaptability, management, risk development and even preventative medicine. Once you're ready to actively recruit veterans, update job descriptions so the language is more likely to attract these candidates. For example, highlight your company values and attributes the ideal hire should possess, like leadership, loyalty, technical skills, written or verbal communication skills and problem-solving skills. During the interview process, ask open-ended questions that enable a deeper understanding of a veteran's skills and experience. Feel free to ask about military terminology or a candidate's position within the military, and be transparent about the job expectations and responsibilities. Proper onboarding ensures all new hires, including veterans, are job-ready and capable of becoming long-term contributors. The process should be thorough—providing an overview of company plans and goals, discussing the job role and expectations and introducing new employees to other team members. Connecting individuals with a mentor to ease the transition into a new career, offering a flexible work environment to those who still have ongoing service requirements and having role-support resources available can also help ensure veterans thrive. Clear career pathways and ongoing upskilling opportunities are key. AI-powered and other data-driven technologies empower HR leaders to see what skills and future roles best align with veteran employees. These tools can identify what training or education might be needed to sustain long-term growth within the organization. Companies and HR leaders can do more to alleviate the workforce shortages affecting many industries today. By creating more opportunities for veterans, employers will realize these individuals possess highly valuable skills—even when they're not as apparent on paper. Hiring veterans can strengthen the internal workforce, promote inclusive growth and ensure these heroes are given every opportunity to excel when they return to civilian life. So it's time that HR leaders fully engage with this skilled talent pool, close the employment gap and turn workforce shortages into opportunities for growth. Forbes Human Resources Council is an invitation-only organization for HR executives across all industries. Do I qualify?
