About GMHA

Background

The Center for Policy, Advocacy and Education of The Mental Health Association of New York City established The Geriatric Mental Health Alliance of New York in January 2004 because the current mental health system does not serve older adults with mental health conditions adequately and because there has been so little preparation to respond to the growth of mental health needs that will emerge during the elder boom. The purpose of the Alliance is to advocate for changes in mental health practice and policy that are needed to improve current mental health services for older adults and to develop an adequate response to the mental health needs of the elder boom generation.

Goals

The goals of the Alliance are to:

• Advocate for improvements in public policy
• Provide public education
• Build a constituency for geriatric mental health
• Foster the development and dissemination of innovative service models
• Provide analytic information regarding geriatric mental health policy

Alliance Staff

Kimberly A. Williams, LMSW, Director
Kimberly A. Williams, Alliance Director, co-founded The Alliance while she was a student at the Columbia University School of Social Work. She serves on numerous advisory and professional groups and was selected by NASW as an emerging leader in social work in 2007. She can be reached at kwilliams@mhaofnyc.org.

Lisa M. Furst, LMSW, Director of Education
Lisa M. Furst is the Director of the GMHA's Training and Technical Assistance Center without walls. She currently also directs, in collaboration with the NYC Department for the Aging and the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, a project to provide mental health education, screening and linkage to services for older adults in senior centers. She can be reached at furstl@mhaofnyc.org.