BRONX TIMES REPORTER,BTR AUG. 13-19, 2021 13
letters & comments
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opinion
BY SUSAN HERMAN
Last week, hundreds of
Bronx residents came through
Roberto Clemente Plaza for
the City Hall In Your Borough
Resource Fair. I was there to
talk with them about mental
health. As it turns out, that’s
a topic the Bronx wants to talk
about.
Many asked me how they
can help their children or
other loved ones, who have
been struggling since the pandemic
began. Some wanted to
know about support in Spanish,
or how to fi nd the right,
culturally responsive therapist.
It was as clear from these
conversations as it is from the
data — New Yorkers need mental
health resources, now more
than ever.
Here’s the good news: Today
in the Bronx, there are more
mental health services available
than there have ever been
— from Highbridge to Hunts
Point and from Soundview to
Eastchester. Our offi ce, the
Mayor’s Offi ce of Community
Mental Health, partners with
more than a dozen city agencies
and nearly 200 community
based organizations to embed
new mental health support in
communities citywide.
These are organizations
New Yorkers know and trust.
Like Neighborhood SHOPP
Casa Boricua, which helps
arrange visits and calls between
volunteers and isolated
older adults through a program
managed by the Department
for the Aging. JASA coordinates
volunteer visitors as
well, and they also have clinicians
on staff to provide mental
health support at fi ve Older
Adult Centers throughout the
Bronx, including at the Riverdale
Y, the Bay Eden Senior
Center and PSS Davidson Center.
In partnership with the
Offi ce of Community Mental
Health, the NYPD and the
Mayor’s Offi ce of Criminal
Justice, Safe Horizon – the nation’s
leading victim services
agency – supports victims of
crime from every precinct in
the city, including all 14 precincts
and Police Service Areas
in the Bronx. The advocates offer
counseling, safety planning,
advocacy and practical
assistance to anyone harmed
by crime, violence or abuse.
Many are bilingual, so victims
of crime in Kingsbridge can receive
support in Spanish while
New Yorkers who live along
the Grand Concourse can get
help in languages like Swahili,
Ga and Twi. Advocates have
worked with trusted neighborhood
organizations – like
BronxWorks and VIP Mujeres
– that serve the Bronx.
For Bronx residents experiencing
homelessness, the
Offi ce of Community Mental
Health has added mental health
counselors on site at city-run
family shelters throughout the
borough. The same is true for
the residences and drop-in centers
for runaway and homeless
youth. And Community Access
and the Institute for Community
Living operate mobile
mental health treatment teams
to provide ongoing care for
New Yorkers who live with serious
mental illness and have a
history of justice involvement
and homelessness.
Thanks to our partners,
there are also many services
now available for children and
young people. Through the
Early Childhood Mental Health
Network, the Association to
Benefi t Children and the Jewish
Board of Family and Children’s
Services offer therapy and other
services for the youngest New
Yorkers and their families. And
at 248 high-needs public schools
across the city, including dozens
in the Bronx — social workers
from organizations like Astor
Services for Children & Families
have supported students
through the most tumultuous
school year in memory.
You can fi nd out more about
all of these programs through
the Offi ce of Community Mental
Health website, which is updated
regularly with data on our
reach and impact.
With so many new services
available, it’s helpful to have a
starting point. Bronx residents
looking to fi nd mental health
support for themselves or someone
they know can explore our
online guide on what to know,
where to look, and who to call
to get connected to care at any
level of need.
Additionally, any New
Yorker in need can call, text or
chat online with a trained counselor
or peer support specialist
through NYC Well. The service
offers crisis counseling and immediate
mental health support,
as well as referrals to ongoing
care. When needed, mobile
crisis teams of clinicians and
peers travel to provide assessments
and short-term care for
people experiencing a behavioral
health crisis. NYC Well is
culturally and linguistically responsive,
with translation services
available in more than 200
languages.
As our city continues to
move towards recovery from
the pandemic, mental health
support is available. That’s a
commitment from the Mayor’s
Offi ce of Community Mental
Health and all of our partners.
Remember, you don’t have to
leave the Bronx to fi nd mental
health support — you may not
even have to leave your neighborhood.
Susan Herman is the director
of the Mayor’s Offi ce of Community
Mental Health.
To the Editor,
In the July 30 “COMACTA”
column, extreme right wing
allegations and conclusions
were presented as if they had
a basis in fact, yet no evidence
was offered to support these
spurious claims. Victimhood
and fear were used to buttress
the author’s views rather than
reason and logic.
The author claimed that
those who support right wing
goals were being unfairly labeled
“white supremacists” by
the media but provided not one
example to support this spurious
claim. He also downplayed
the threat of right-wing extremist
violence calling it “isolated”
and the work of “minor
organizations.” Apparently
the columnist has no knowledge
of the Proud Boys or Oath
Keepers, despite their national
notoriety. And stopped reading
the newspapers on Jan. 5.
Yet those who disagree
with the cynical sentiments of
the gentleman are presented
as violent hordes bent on destruction
and mayhem. He alludes
to “massive evidence”
that these groups should be
considered terrorists, offering
not a scintilla of such evidence.
Victimhood and fear
are used by many on the right;
these are the only tools available
to them since the facts do
not support their ideology.
Pasqual Pelosi
To the Editor,
As Gov. Andrew Cuomo
enters the twilight of his political
career, he has three options.
Resign and hope in coming
years he can rehabilitate
his image and career. Two,
continue to fi ght the inevitable
future impeachment by
the state Legislature. Three, if
still clinging to offi ce, run in
the June 2022 Democratic Primary
for a fourth term. Most
of his former friends, be they
other public offi ce holders,
party leaders, major campaign
contributors or union supporters
have abandoned ship.
A campaign war chest of $16
million will not buy him another
term. Cuomo fatigue has
taken root. There is also the
excessive number of COVID-19
nursing home deaths and his
$5 million book deal investigations.
While he decides what
to do, he will have less time to
deal with other ongoing issues
facing New Yorkers.
Should Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul
become governor, she
will be preoccupied with winning
the June 2022 Democratic
Party primary to run for a full
four-year term. Being attached
at the political hip to Cuomo,
may adversely impact her ability
to win any cooperation
from the state Legislature.
The political sharks have already
begun circling the political
carcass of Cuomo. Many
are now considering their own
run for governor.
Larry Penner
LET US HEAR FROM YOU
Letters to the editor are welcome from all readers. They should be addressed
care of this newspaper to Laura Guerriero, Publisher, the Bronx Times Reporter,
3604 E. Tremont Ave., Bronx, NY 10465, or e-mail to bronxtimes@cnglocal.com.
All letters, including those submitted via e-mail, MUST be signed and with a
verifi able address and telephone number included.
Note that the address and telephone number will NOT be published and the
name will be published or withheld upon request.
No unsigned letters can be accepted for publication. The editor reserves the
right to edit all submissions.
Photo Miriam Quinones
In the Bronx, mental health
support is all around you
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