FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: December 20, 2024  
CONTACT: press@mentalhealth.nyc.gov, (212) 788-4254   

The Mayor’s Office of Community Mental Health Makes Progress in Promoting Mental Health for All New Yorkers

Expanded BHEARD to More High Needs Neighborhoods 
OCMH Expanded Efforts to Support Behavioral Health Workers,   

NEW YORK – The Mayor’s Office of Community Mental Health (OCMH) announced concrete steps the office took throughout 2024 to ensure that more New Yorkers are getting the mental health support they need to live healthy and content lives. Building on the goals of Mayor Adams’ Care, Community, Action: A Mental Health Plan for NYC, OCMH has continued to work in close collaboration with partners inside and outside of government to launch innovative initiatives that address New York City’s pressing mental health challenges.    

“From day one, our administration has focused on creating a safer, more affordable New York City. In 2024, we continued to deliver on that vision and ‘Get Stuff Done’ for working-class New Yorkers,” said New York City Mayor Eric Adams. “Thanks to our extraordinary public servants, America’s safest big city got even safer this year, with overall crime down and thousands of illegal guns, mopeds, and ghost cars taken off city streets. We passed historic legislation to turn New York into a ‘City of Yes,’ shattered affordable housing records once again, and put billions of dollars back into New Yorkers’ pockets. We broke records for the most jobs and small businesses in city history and moved millions of trash bags off our sidewalks and into containers. But we know that there is even more we can do to continue to uplift working-class families. As we look to the future, our administration remains committed to keeping New Yorkers safe and making our city more affordable for the millions of New Yorkers who call our city home.” 

“The Adams administration has made significant strides in expanding access to mental health care and strengthening the behavioral health workforce. By fostering a sense of belonging, purpose, empathy and connection, we are enhancing mental health for all New Yorkers,” said Eva Wong, Executive Director of the NYC Mayor’s Office of Community Mental Health. “NYC remains committed to activating all parts of city government and embracing a community mental health approach to help every New Yorker feels supported, healthy, and connected.”    

In 2024, OCMH’s collaborative work included:    

Strengthening Youth Mental Health and Building Community Capacity through the Adaptation of the “EASE” Evidence-Based Intervention   

OCMH partnered with the New School Center for Global Mental Health and three Brooklyn-based non-profits – The B.R.O. Experience, Center for Community Alternatives, and El Puente – to develop the first-ever US cultural adaptation of the “Early Adolescent Skills for Emotions (EASE)” intervention. Originally developed by the World Health Organization, EASE is an evidence-based, brief psychological model designed to support youth ages 10-15 years experiencing emotional distress, along with their parents and caregivers. This pioneering adaptation incorporated feedback from youth and community members to develop a culturally relevant model for New Yorkers.  EASE NYC introduces a task-sharing approach to community-based care, integrating principles of Positive Youth Development (PYD) and Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) competencies through structured group-based programming.    

Expanding B-HEARD to More High Need Neighborhoods    

B-HEARD — the Behavioral Health Emergency Assistance Response Division is an interagency collaboration between the New York City Fire Department (FDNY) and NYC Health + Hospitals with oversight from OCMH. This pilot program partners jointly trained EMTs and Paramedics and mental health professionals to respond to 911 mental health calls that do not have violence or weapons as the primary concern. In 2024, B-HEARD began shifting its approach to response by moving away from operating strictly within the boundaries of police precincts, to more flexible boundaries that are more aligned with the way EMS units have traditionally been dispatched. In the first six months of the year alone, the teams responded to over 14,000 911 mental health calls.   

Access Guide and other Resources Distribution   

In order to help New Yorkers find the most appropriate resources for their needs, in 2024 OCMH developed multiple easy to use guides, including “How to Get NYC Mental Health & Substance Use Services for All New Yorkers,” “Quick Guide to NYC Mental Health & Substance Use Services”, and a palm card for crisis services. These resource guides were designed to help New Yorkers understand the differences in public mental health supports and services available to them, determine which resources are best suited for their needs, and how to access those resources.    

OCMH distributed over 150,000 guides using different points of distribution including direct mail, community events and health fairs, NYC town halls, mental health conferences, and other city agencies that provide direct service to New Yorkers.   

Youth Suicide Prevention   

OCMH utilized its Mental Health Council platform to launch the first Youth Suicide Prevention Collaborative (YSPC), a citywide, multi-sector initiative aimed at equipping youth-serving agencies, organizations, and families with the knowledge, tools, and skills to prevent suicide. The collaborative focuses on enhancing resilience, fostering protective factors, strengthening coordination and integration across services, and activating all parts of government to address the growing crisis of youth suicide through prevention and support efforts.   

Building and Supporting the Behavioral Health Workforce through User Friendly Navigation Tools   

To address the need for a robust behavioral health workforce to support all New Yorkers, OCMH developed a career roadmap to strengthen workforce navigation resources for students, job seekers, and those supporting them. The roadmap outlines job opportunities in behavioral health, along with required education and training at each level. It is the first of its kind for this sector and is supplemented by additional resources including character stories which illustrate sample career pathways and a salary table of clinical and non-clinical behavioral health jobs.   

Publishing a Workforce White Paper Addressing Challenges for the Behavioral Health Workforce and Presenting Promising Solutions   

Titled, “Bridging the Gap: Challenges and Solutions for a Thriving Behavioral Health Workforce,” the OCMH authored white paper presents a four-pronged analysis of the causes for the workforce shortage crisis and a four-pronged framework to resolve these challenges and build a resilient workforce. The white paper outlines a multi-sector approach that includes a focus on career pathways, educational access, talent development, and capacity building with involvement from city and state government, non-profit organizations, educational institutions, faith-based partners, and funders. It is slated to be published in the first week of January 2025.   

Updating the Jobs NYC website to include a dedicated “Mental Health” category   

OCMH worked in partnership with DCAS to develop a “Mental Health” category on the Jobs NYC website, through which job seekers can filter their search for city government job openings. This feature can be combined with additional search filters to enable job seekers to identify the most relevant job opportunities that align with their interests and skills, ultimately bolstering the talent pipeline for the behavioral health workforce within city government.     

Investing in the Non-Clinical Behavioral Health Workforce through Interagency Efforts to Support Community Health Workers and Peer Support Workers   

Amidst the behavioral health workforce crisis in New York City, OCMH published the 2024 Peer Support Workers (PSWs) and Community Health Workers (CHWs) Listening and Feedback Tour Report. OCMH convened an interagency working group over 18 months beginning January of 2023 to better understand the roles and needs of PSWs and CHWs in the behavioral health workforce. The Community Engagement Committee organized a listening and feedback tour with organizations that employ PSWs and CHWs, engaging them on issues impacting their work including the skills and support required to be effective in their current roles, opportunities for career advancement and continuous learning, and policy change needed to improve their work environment and job satisfaction. The Committee collected qualitative data from more than 155 PSWs and CHWs, representing 27 organizations, across over 22 sessions.   

Peer Support Workers and Community Health Workers Recognition Event   

OCMH, in collaboration with an interagency working group of leaders from over 15 City and State agencies, has been working on ways to strengthen and support the non-clinical behavioral health workforce in New York City, particularly Peer Support Workers and Community Health Workers, who exemplify the community-based mental health model. As a result, OCMH hosted NYC’s first ever “Recognition Event for Community Health Workers and Peer Support Workers” during Mental Health Awareness Month in June.   

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About the Mayor’s Office of Community Mental Health    

The Mayor’s Office of Community Mental Health is committed to improving mental health outcomes for all New Yorkers, so that more people can get the mental health support they need to live healthy and content lives. We advance our goals by coordinating the development of citywide policies and strategies to fill critical gaps in mental healthcare.   

OCMH works with City agencies to reduce barriers to mental health care for marginalized communities. Our priorities are rooted in equity, racial justice, and cultural responsiveness. We adopt a community-centered and strength-based approach that recognizes diverse perspectives, lived experiences, resilience, and the unique needs of New Yorkers.