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NYC Public Advocate Jumaane Williams has been a vocal supporter of the new program, introduced by the Black Car Fund (BCF) and Independent Drivers Guild (IDG).
On May 7, The Black Car Fund (BCF) and Independent Drivers Guild (IDG) held a press conference to introduce their innovative new Mental Health and Wellness Program for NYC’s For-Hire Vehicle (FHV) drivers. Featured speakers included NYC Public Advocate Jumaane Williams and Council Member Ydanis Rodriguez, chair of the City Council’s Transportation Committee; other elected officials, drivers and families affected by the industry-wide crisis were also in attendance. Reporters from nearly a dozen media outlets covered the event, which was held at Vital Transportation in Long Island City.
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Reporters from nearly a dozen media outlets covered the press conference, which promoted a new Mental Health and Wellness Program for NYC’s For-Hire Vehicle (FHV) drivers, spearheaded by the BCF and IDG.
The new, one-of-a-kind Driver Wellness program “seeks to destigmatize mental health care and takes a holistic approach to wellness by providing a suite of free counseling and case management services and classes to address and prevent crisis situations.” The counseling services are available in English, Spanish, Urdu, Bengali and Mandarin.
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Ira Goldstein, Executive Director of the Black Car Fund, describes the details of the new program to a reporter.
Anyone experiencing a mental health crisis is urged to call the NYCWELL 24/7 hotline at 888-692-9355 for immediate assistance. Drivers and their families can sign up for free individual, couple, and family counseling, as well as case management support in obtaining resources athttps://drivingguild.org/wellness/.
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Ydanis Rodriguez, chair of the City Council’s Transportation Committee, explains why he supports the new program.
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For left to right: Andrew Greenblatt, Executive Director, IDG Benefits Fund; Berj Haroutunian, Chairman of the BCF and President of Vital Transportation Inc.; and Jim Conigliaro Jr., Esq., founder of the IDG.
