As Veterans Day nears, a critical peer-to-peer program is marking an important milestone.

“Since its inception, the Dwyer program, get this, over 12,000 support groups,” said Eric Hardiman of UAlbany’s School of Social Welfare.

Designed to reduce the isolation of veterans and associated mental health issues, the Private First-Class Joseph P. Dwyer Peer Support Program was launched 10 years ago.

“Some veterans come home and they’re OK,” said Army veteran Brent Russell. “Some veterans come home and they’re not OK.”

Russell also leads the Mental Health Association of Nassau County Veteran Services. He's familiar with the challenges, which inspires his involvement with the statewide program and its non-clinical services provided exclusively by veterans.

“Peer support has a strong role in helping individuals to come home and get re-acclimate to society,” he said. “And more importantly, re-acclimate to their families.”

The program’s namesake is Joseph P. Dwyer, an Army medic in the Iraq War from New York whose struggles with post-traumatic stress disorder led to his untimely death in 2008.

“Dwyer opens the door and says, 'If you served, come on in, you're one of us, we’re here for you. Let’s talk,'” said state Department of Veterans' Services Deputy Commissioner Benjamin Pomerance.

Having begun in four of the state’s counties in 2012, the program recently expanded into all 62 counties.

“Our counties only have $180,000, $50,000, but the VA has billions of dollars,’ explained Hudson Valley Center for Veteran Reintegration’s Gavin Walters. “But we do more than what the VA does.”

For veterans who might find themselves lost or need of support, Russell shared a message.

“Give us a try. Worst case scenario is you won’t like us,” he said. “For the most part, I think that you will because we understand you, we understand who you are because we’re veterans, just like you are.”