Peer Support Line

Life is complicated, but NYSUT Member Benefits can help. The Peer Support Line is a confidential helpline available through Member Benefits at no cost to all NYSUT members and their families.

Member Testimonials

• Shatara Walker
  Shatara Walker, a special education teacher with Syracuse City Schools and member of the Syracuse Teachers Association, provided Member Benefits with a testimonial in December 2024 regarding her experience using the Peer Support Line.
  
  “I reached out to the Peer Support Line about a sensitive issue after a recommendation from a colleague. I spoke with a wonderful woman who listened to me, did research for me, and offered a plethora of resources. I was grateful to have a sympathetic and supportive ear on a difficult day along with the resources provided.
  
  It can be very hard to ask for help, especially in a field where you are there to help others. I appreciated the follow-up calls from the woman at the Peer Support Line and found the interactions with her to be genuine, positive, and helpful. She helped get me in the right direction and find a provider that I am meeting and starting the process with.
  
  The fact that she took the time to reach back out to me and was more than willing to keep finding resources for me was what stood out most about the program. The people at the Peer Support Line really are interested in helping others."
  
• Dorothy "Dolly" Krumenacker
  Dorothy "Dolly" Krumenacker, a 101-year-old NYSUT retiree from Long Island, NY currently living in an assisted living facility in Georgia, began utilizing the Peer Support Line in September 2024.
  
  Dolly taught nursing for more than 30 years and served as the head of the Department of Nursing at Nassau County Community College. She grew up during the Great Depression with a very difficult childhood as her mother was deaf and her father unfortunately passed away when she was just two years old. Her mother never learned sign language, so Dolly had to act as an interpreter for her -- leaving little time for school. Even at a young age, though, Dolly had a love for reading and learning that has carried through her entire life. She pursued her education and higher learning at a time when women were generally not allowed to do so, and pushed her way through to help break down barriers for other women.
  
  Dolly learned about the Peer Support Line after contacting NYSUT Member Benefits with a question about a publication; the Member Benefits staff member she spoke with answered Dolly’s question and also engaged with her on a more personal level. After learning Dolly had been in an assisted living facility for the past year and would appreciate having someone to talk with, the Member Benefits staff member recommended the Peer Support Line; the staff member also took it upon herself to see what could be done for Dolly. Christina Bangel from the Peer Support Line has been calling Dolly on a weekly basis to see how she is doing and provide empathetic support to her -- one of many services offered through the line.
  
  Christina looks forward to their weekly calls on Monday evenings and is amazed at how sharp Dolly remains at 101 years old. “I so look forward to speaking with Dolly each week; she is an endless source of insight and inspiration,” said Christina. “I have told her that her life reads like a novel: Love, early family loss, acting as her mother’s surrogate, married at 18 with a husband who was away for five years during World War II, adversity, fighting to be admitted to college, raising a family, building her career, breaking boundaries and glass ceilings, and serving as a trailblazer for women who wanted to receive an education. I asked her one day, ‘Dolly, what do you want to be when you grow up?’ She chuckled and said ‘Christina, I believe I have accomplished every goal I ever had.’ I thought that was beautiful!”
  
  Dolly also anticipates her weekly phone calls with Christina and still enjoys reading fiction and detective books on a regular basis; she remains a huge proponent of her union sisters and brothers as well. “I didn’t realize how large our union is and was surprised to hear how many members are in NYSUT,” said Dolly. “I think it’s wonderful there are so many active retirees still involved."
• Patrick McCarthy
  Patrick McCarthy, NYSUT Retiree Chapter 13 Leader and former local president of the Sullivan BOCES Teachers Association, provided Member Benefits with a testimonial in July 2024 regarding his experience using the Peer Support Line.
  
  McCarthy learned about the Peer Support Line in late 2022 during a very overwhelming time after his partner of more than 20 years had been admitted to the hospital for a heart attack and the flu. McCarthy’s partner was scheduled to be released from the hospital but needed a stent in his heart; meanwhile, both McCarthy himself and his stepdaughter had become ill at the time and were not healthy enough to care for their recovering loved one.
  
  "I looked down at the local Mid-Hudson region teachers union publication and saw a reference to the Peer Support Line. The woman that I spoke with at the Peer Support Line was so compassionate and professional and had such a calm and soothing voice; she recommended that I contact the County Office of the Aging and even found the information for me. It was a great conversation with a peer who understood my situation and my background.
  
  I called the County Office of the Aging and spoke with someone who said to contact Medicare for an appeal of my partner’s hospital release. Five minutes after I finished speaking with someone at Medicare, the phone rang and it was a representative from the hospital where my partner was. The woman I spoke with asked if I had filed an appeal and said the hospital had decided to keep my partner longer.
  
  My partner came home a few days later and unfortunately passed soon after. It has obviously been very difficult since then, but it was such a relief to have a resource like the Peer Support Line available when I needed it. NYSUT always had great social services programs when I was an in-service member, and the Peer Support Line is just a continuation of that. I can’t praise the Peer Support Line enough."
  
  

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This service can help with the following topics and more:

• Finding mental health services or support groups
• Locating Medicare/Medicaid resources
• Managing work-related stress
• Providing support to new members
• Sourcing elder care or caregiving services
• Assisting with marital, relationship, or child rearing concerns
• Reducing feelings of isolation and loneliness
• Accessing services for individuals with disabilities
• Finding help for victims of violence
• Managing planned or unexpected hospitalizations

Don't go it alone. When stressful situations arise, look to the Peer Support Line to speak with trained peer support specialists who will lend a caring ear and connect you with community resources that can make a difference for you and your family.

The Peer Support Line is a partnership between NYSUT Social Services, NYSUT Member Benefits, and Rutgers University Behavioral Health Care.