Center to help stressed military and police

Having seen firsthand the stress endured by police officers, soldiers and their families, New York State Naval Militia Rear Admiral Robert Rosen and his wife, Florence, felt the need to help.
“It is impossible to describe the tremendous emotional and physical burdens faced by our law enforcement and military personnel and their families, on a daily basis. These are the very people who risk their lives to ensure our safety,” Robert Rosen said.
For that reason, he and his wife helped to found the new Florence and Robert A. Rosen Family Wellness Center at North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset, Long Island.
On Friday, April 27, the center, which is now part of the North Shore-Long Island Jewish (LIJ) Health System, held its opening ceremony.
The center - believed to be the first of its kind in the nation - will give free counseling for and hold workshops to help combat stress-induced problems, including marital issues, cigarette smoking, weight gain and Post traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). As a “center without walls,” the new facility will provide counseling within the building or at another location where patients feel comfortable, and aspects of the program will be integrated in each of the North Shore-LIJ’s 15 hospitals in Queens and Long Island.
A number of free workshops - covering adult wellness and health, parenting and child resilience - will also be offered at the center, which will have three full-time adult and child psychologists and a psychiatric social worker on staff as well as access to hospital resources.
“Because of their high-stress occupations and their frequent exposure to traumatic events, military and law enforcement personnel have unique behavioral health needs that will be addressed by specially trained staff at the Rosen Center,” said Dr. Sandra Kaplan, the Center’s new Director.
At the opening, high-ranking members of the military and veterans spoke to the varying pressures felt by soldiers.
“In the theater of combat, we are under enormous pressure, which manifests itself in strong and terrible ways,” said U.S. Marine Corps Colonel David Cahn, who recently completed a tour in Iraq. “Even when they try [to forget], their memories take them back to unpleasant times and they stay awake throughout the night. They are awfully anxious about hearing the screams of the dead and dying, hearing incoming mortar and artillery rounds, the enemy firing ZSU23/4s, and small arms fire.”
In the military, “you are trained to take care of your issues, take care of your problems,” said former Marine Clarice Joynes, Director of the Mayor’s Office of Veterans’ Affairs. However, “it’s not a weakness to reach out for help.”
During the first year of the program, organizers hope to serve 1,000 veterans, law enforcement officers and family members, and hope to expand counseling to soldiers, who will soon return from serving overseas - currently there are about 4,000 from New York State deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Together the Rosens, who are long-time trustees of the North Shore-LIJ Health System, and the Federal Law Enforcement Foundation, provided the $300,000 needed to start the Center. In addition, the Health System more than matched these funds with their donations of supplies, space, and staff.
Nevertheless, money, Robert Rosen, said would not be an issue. No veterans would be turned away.
“Frankly, we will do what needs to be done,” he said.
For more information, contact the Center at 516-562-3260 or rosencenter@nshs.edu.