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Red Cross Offers Virtual Help For NYS Families Who Lost Loved Ones To COVID-19

Dr. James Halpern
Courtesy of SUNY New Paltz
Dr. James Halpern

The American Red Cross is operating a virtual Family Assistance Center in New York to help those who have lost loved ones to COVID-19. WAMC’s Hudson Valley Bureau Chief Allison Dunne spoke with Dr. James Halpern, who serves on the Board of Directors of the Hudson Valley Chapter of the Red Cross. Now retired, he was the founding director of the Institute for Disaster Mental Health at SUNY New Paltz.

After the 9/11 attacks, Halpern led the first team of mental health workers at Ground Zero. As a volunteer with theAmerican Red Cross, he went to Connecticut the day after the Sandy Hook Elementary School shootings in 2012 to provide counseling. He has provided disaster grief counseling around the world. Now, his attention has turned to the Red Cross virtual Family Assistance center.

Dr. James Halpern serves on the Board of Directors of the Hudson Valley Chapter of the Red Cross. He’s developed a video/webinar called “Recognizing and Managing Stress for Healthcare Workers in a Public Health Emergency.” It was sent to area hospitals and many local nursing homes. 

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