The Mayor’s Office of Community Mental Health is committed to improving mental health outcomes for all New Yorkers and ensuring that more people can get the mental health support they need to live healthy and fulfilling lives.
Our Approach
Codified into the City Charter by Executive Order 68 and Local Law 155 by the City Council in December of 2021 amidst the Covid-19 pandemic, The Mayor’s Office of Community Mental Health (OCMH) became the first mayoral office dedicated solely to addressing the mental health of New Yorkers.
OCMH coordinates the development of citywide policies and strategies to fill critical gaps in mental healthcare.
We work 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.
Mental health is not the absence of mental illness, rather the presence of well-being, and the ability to cope with life’s stresses.
OCMH’s work addresses the full mental health continuum in tackling community mental health including:
- Maintaining mental health and wellbeing
- Strengthening coping strategies and enhancing resilience
- Increasing access to mental health treatments
- Preventing and stabilizing crisis
The outcomes of our work in correcting deep-seated systems-level challenges in mental healthcare is instrumental to improving mental health outcomes for all New Yorkers.
OCMH’s priorities complement and build on The City’s Mental Health Plan: Care, Community, Action:
- Improving Access to Mental Health Care and Equitable Distribution of Resources
- Partnering with Communities to Elevate Mental Health Promotion and Community Resilience
- Developing a Coordinated Mental Health Crisis Response System
- Building and Supporting the Behavioral Health Workforce in NYC