Message from the Executive Director and President of MHA of NYC

About the Mental Health Association of New York City

Founded in 1964, the MHA of NYC is one of the leading advocacy and services organizations serving the New York metropolitan area. The MHA of NYC fights to shape the policies that benefit those who suffer with mental illness, promotes early detection of mental illness and facilitates access to treatment, and pioneers direct service programs to help individuals and their families lead rich and rewarding lives.

The MHA of NYC offers an array of programs and services.

LifeNet and 9/11 Mental Health Services:

1-800-LIFENET, the MHA of NYC's award-winning crisis, information and referral hotline, answers over 75,000 calls a year, helping New Yorkers find emotional support or mental health treatment for themselves or their loved ones, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. LifeNet is multilingual and multicultural:

• English: 1-800-LIFENET (1-800-543-3638)
  
• Spanish: 1-877-AYUDESE (1-877-298-3373)


• Chinese: Asian LifeNet (1-877-990-8585)


• All Other Languages: 1-800-543-3638

Direct Service Programs:

The MHA of NYC administers the 9/11 Mental Health and Substance Abuse Program, funded by the American Red Cross. This financial assistance program offers mental health treatment at little to no cost for people who were directly affected by the events of 9/11. Participants may select from a range of treatment, and the licensed provider of their choice.

Learn more about the program by visiting www.9-11mentalhealth.org or by calling 1-800-LIFENET.

Direct Service Programs:

In 2005, the MHA of NYC served nearly 5,000 individuals and family members through our many programs. To learn more about these programs and how you or a friend or family member may participate, call 1-800-LIFENET.

• ADOLESCENT SKILLS CENTERS give youth the opportunity to earn their General Education Diploma (GED) and to acquire vocational skills through classroom study emphasizing math and literacy, and by offering training and placement in summer jobs and internships.
  
• ANOTHER WAY provides peer-to-peer support for people with mental illness who are living independently in the community and still in treatment.
  
• COORDINATED CHILDREN'S SERVICES INITIATIVE works with families of children with severe emotional disturbances to integrate services among multiple New York City child care serving systems.. This results in individualized, coordinated mental health plans designed to keep children at home with their families.
  
• FAST TRACK TO EMPLOYMENT assists people in returning to the work force early in their recovery by utilizing internships and job placements. In 2002 the program was cited as a model by the President’s Committee on Employment of People With Disabilities.
  
• HARLEM BAY NETWORK enables adults with chronic mental illness to gain independent living skills and build social networks by providing them with experience managing and operating their own clubhouse.
  
• PARENT RESOURCE CENTERS in Manhattan and the Bronx provide information and support for parents of children with emotional problems, and teaches them to become more effective advocates for their children.
  
• RECOVERY WORKS AND SUPPORTED HOUSING gives people with a dual diagnosis of mental illness and substance addiction a safe and comfortable place to live on a transitional or permanent basis.
  
• RESIDENTIAL TREATMENT CARE MANAGEMENT coordinates access to residential treatment facilities by working with agencies and parents of children with serious emotional disorders to make appropriate referrals, track progress and smooth a child’s transition back into the community.

Advocacy

We anticipate and fight for unmet mental health needs through policy change. Partnership is essential: in 2003, in conjunction with the MHA of Westchester, the MHA of NYC launched the Center for Policy and Advocacy. The Center serves as a hub for progressive thinking and action to address changing mental health needs – the aging population, services for adolescents, and housing support, for instance.

The MHA of NYC 2005 annual report, Transforming Mental Health in New York City, will detail for you our many programs and services. We welcome your interest and your support.

Giselle Stolper Executive Director	Kevin J. Danehy President