May 25, 2022 from Dr. Ashwin Vasan
“Using mental health as a political football to embody the rise of crime and hate or to highlight service failures is misguided. We must abandon the idea that everyone living with serious mental illness can only be helped with acute care and hospitalization; we know that’s not true. We must instead move to a model of prevention and recovery centered on breaking isolation. We’ll do this by investing in social infrastructure.” Dr. Ashwin Vassan (was the director of Fountain House before being appointed NYC’ Commissioner of Health this year)
Commissioner of Health, New York City
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VyW7P9KtNIM (37 minutes)
Today, I joined Henry Street Settlement to discuss NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene‘s plan to address mental health. There has never been a more important time to center mental health care in New York City. New Yorkers are in pain; none of us left the last two years emotionally unscathed. We know that the pandemic’s effects have not been experienced equally; communities of color are feeling the impact most acutely. That has made access to mental health care all the more critical. We’ve neglected mental health for far too long; we can and must do more.
A New York State Department of Health survey conducted in the last year found that New Yorkers are experiencing anxiety, depression, and financial stress. One in four reported symptoms of anxiety; one in five reported symptoms of depression. A report from The Trevor Project indicated that 45% of LGBTQ+ youth said they have seriously considered suicide in the past year. Similar statistics exist for a number of marginalized, under-invested in, and under-resourced groups, and we must address this as the crisis that it is.
COVID-19 negatively impacted us all, but especially children, people with serious forms of mental illness, and people with substance use and addiction issues. We must address the problem at scale and emphasize prevention and rehabilitation, not stigmatization.
Using mental health as a political football to embody the rise of crime and hate or to highlight service failures is misguided. We must abandon the idea that everyone living with serious mental illness can only be helped with acute care and hospitalization; we know that’s not true. We must instead move to a model of prevention and recovery centered on breaking isolation. We’ll do this by investing in social infrastructure.
New York City will soon announce expansion of NYCWell and provide resources to support the 988 Federal Crisis Response Line rollout.
I understand that this issue is complex and personal. Mental health is an issue that is deeply personal to me, too: I lost an Uncle to suicide and alcoholism when I was ten years old. I am grateful to know and support organizations serving people dealing with mental health issues each day. But I also understand that the work of mental health organizations addressing key needs should not be regarded as isolated projects or bright light success stories, but must be brought into a comprehensive system of mental health services. NYC is proud to work to address that need.
Full video of remarks here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VyW7P9KtNIM (37 minutes)
Ann Kasper, MA, PSS