Gov. Kathy Hochul announced on Wednesday that up to $2 million is available to expand suicide prevention efforts for veterans and uniformed personnel.

News 12 has learned that the money is available through the CARES UP initiative.

Andrea Molina, the director of Veteran Services, said the extra funding will make all of the difference for agencies that support this part of the population.

"I mean sometimes I'm booked back-to-back. So, we'll delve into some really dark topics, and the person will step out, and then I'll have to work with the next veteran," Molina said. "Knowing that we can possibly use these resources to prevent suicide to keep veterans afloat until we can connect them with professional services is very exciting."

Officials said the increase in funding will also allow the state's Office of Mental Health to expand eligibly to emergency dispatchers.

For more information on resources or about how agencies can access the funding, please visit this website.