NAMI Overwatch

The NAMI Finger Lakes Overwatch Peer Support (OPS) program provides no-cost, confidential, community-based peer support to first responders across the Finger Lakes region. Inspired by the award-winning NAMI North Texas OPS initiative, our program supports anyone in the first responder network responding to crises, from volunteers to full-time professionals, including dispatch, corrections, law enforcement, fire, EMS, EMT, parole, probation, clinical support staff, and others essential to crisis response. We operate as a supplemental resource, complementing any existing peer support programs within individual departments.

Our OPS network serves as a safe, independent space where first responders can seek support without the concerns that may accompany internal agency programs. Free from affiliations with any single agency or government department, NAMI Finger Lakes, the local affiliate of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), provides a supportive community dedicated to maintaining confidentiality and offering a broader, community-based approach to mental health care.

NAMI Overwatch: Peer Support for First Responders

Team Members