The NJ First Responder COVID Hope & Healing Helpline is now available for all New Jersey first responders (fire, EMS, law enforcement, Veteran or military) and family members to provide additional support during this pandemic. You can reach them at (833) 237-4325 or find more information at www.risefirstresponders.com or on Facebook @RISENJFirstResponders.

The mission of RISE, NJ First Responders Covid Hope & Healing Helpline, is to provide live Covid crisis counseling support, 7 days a week from 8am – 8pm to all New Jersey First Responders, including Police, Firefighters, EMS, National Guard, Military and Veterans, their families, and caregivers statewide, with emergency support available  24/7.

The helpline is built on a foundation established by the Rutgers University National Center for Peer Support, which has provided crisis counseling, peer support, and disaster response support to vulnerable communities for decades. The Center has been nationally recognized for expertise in peer support by the American Psychiatric Association and the Defense Centers of Excellence for Psychological Health & Traumatic Brain Injury.

The RISE team is comprised of first responders, partnered with highly trained behavioral healthcare experts to offer “peer informed” Covid crisis counseling support services. The services offered include:

- Covid crisis counseling by phone, chat, and email

- Virtual Resilience & Wellness Webinars

- Virtual Crisis Counseling Support Groups

- Access to best and most up to date resource database available

Countless numbers of lives across the country have already been positively impacted by the work of the Center, and the numbers continue to rise every day. Read one such story from a NJ EMS professional.