Mental health continues to be one of the great challenges of the Big Apple authorities, and as part of the initiatives to provide emotional support to minors, the Adams Administration launched the “NYC Teenspace” program six months ago, an initiative that until To date, it has already managed to virtually help a total of 6,800 adolescents between the ages of 13 and 17, many of them Latinos. Nearly 70% identified as women and 23% as men.
This was revealed by the mayor, Eric Adams, after ensuring that adolescents signed up for these free telemental health services, many from underserved neighborhoods, which ensures that more young people who deal with emotional situations or mental conditions can receive counseling and support.
According to City data, 65% of users reported an improvement in their mental health, and 80% identified as Black, Hispanic, Asian American or Pacific Islander (AAPI).
“With anxiety on the rise in teens, we made it clear that New York City would provide our youth with the help they need and free telemental health services. “Six months later, the data shows that our efforts are paying off and we have already helped more than 6,800 adolescents get the mental health care they need,” said the local president, referring to the online therapy Talkspace, through which teens from all five boroughs can connect with a therapist, via phone, video and text, for free.
“We’ve brought mental health therapy and resources to thousands of New York City teens, but we didn’t stop there. We filed a lawsuit to hold the companies that own five social media platforms accountable for their harmful behavior and made the right investments to place nearly 500 social workers and psychologists in our schools,” Adams emphasized, insisting that mental health among young people It is a priority of his administration. “While this progress is encouraging, we will continue working to reach every teen wherever they are and ensure that all New Yorkers receive care and support.”
Dr. Ashwin Vasan, health commissioner of the Big Apple, mentioned that thanks to new tools to support adolescents, the City is making progress in protecting minors, but he stressed that there is still a long way to go.
“We still have a lot to improve and learn, especially from the young people themselves. But one thing is clear: we have broken down some barriers to care, we have opened the door to mental health support through a modern approach and adolescents are choosing to overcome it,” said the medical expert. “We are meeting the challenge of our young people’s mental health crisis with whatever it takes, because we know we cannot afford to wait and the cost of inaction is too high.”
Young people from neighborhoods such as Brownsville, East New York and Canarsie, in Brooklyn, and Morrisania and Norwood, in the Bronx, lead the numbers of teenagers enrolled in the “NYC Teenspace” support plan.
“The safety and well-being of students, including emotional well-being, remains a top priority for New York City Public Schools. and the ‘NYC Teenspace’ program has positively impacted many of our children and highlights how important accessible services like this are to our community,” said Department of Education Chancellor David C. Banks.
“In addition to the robust set of mental health supports already available to our students, we remain committed to working with our partner agencies at DOHMH to ensure our youth are fully supported and prepared for long-term success, inside and outside.” of our classrooms,” concluded the head of the Big Apple schools.