Results for Latest Blog from Vibrant

MHA-NYC’s New President, Kimberly Williams

With change comes opportunity. In January, I took on the amazing role of serving MHA-NYC’s staff, consumers, and community as President. This is a period of big change, both at our organization and across the behavioral health landscape. In the first quarter of this year, we faced a proposal from Congress to repeal and replace… View Article Published on - April 18, 2017 8:08 pm Published by - Leave your thoughts

Ticket to Wellness

The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, which MHA-NYC administers in partnership with The U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), provides resources and support for anyone in distress, anywhere in the country, any time of the day or night. This winter, the Lifeline teamed up with Metro North to take suicide prevention another step… View Article Published on - April 18, 2017 4:25 pm Published by -

MHA-NYC AND FACEBOOK EXPAND THEIR PARTNERSHIP TO PROMOTE SUICIDE PREVENTION ACROSS THE WORLD

Social media is not just for selfies anymore.  MHA-NYC and the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline have had a long and robust partnership with Facebook, helping them use the power of their network to prevent suicides. In March, we took the next step forward in this exciting collaboration, expanding reporting and tools to help more people… View Article Published on - April 18, 2017 4:24 pm Published by -

Bronx Adolescent Skills Center Sit-In

Until very recently, the students of the Bronx Adolescent Skills Center (ASC) TASC Program were taught math by a phenomenal teacher. This teacher sadly had to go on medical leave early in 2017, which left them feeling hopeless. The students went from learning math in a fun and interactive way, to being sat in front… View Article Published on - April 14, 2017 6:20 pm Published by -

‘Raise the Age’ Is Law

Governor Andrew Cuomo signed ‘Raise the Age’ legislation into law on Monday. This means that young people who commit non-violent crimes will no longer be processed as adults in the criminal justice system. Instead, they will receive the help they need. Our Education Services Specialist RueZalia Watkins noted: “This huge news for families who have… View Article Published on - April 12, 2017 2:21 pm Published by -

We Must Advocate For Older Adults With Behavioral Health Conditions

By Kimberly Williams, MSSW, Lisa Furst, LMSW, MPH, and Michael Friedman, LMSW As of this writing, the healthcare and behavioral health systems are facing unprecedented threats from proposed legislation to significantly roll back the gains achieved through the Affordable Care Act (ACA).  Medicaid is also under threat, as the current legislative proposal attempts to alter… View Article Published on - April 3, 2017 8:51 pm Published by -

Transgender and Finding Her Voice

Last week, I was reminded that being open-minded and understanding the depths of another person’s life experience are two very different things. For all the talk about transgender issues in the news today, how many of us have had the opportunity to talk with an individual about his or her experience—not in the political sense—but… View Article Published on - January 24, 2017 11:27 am Published by - Leave your thoughts

Inauguration Weekend, Support is Available 24/7

The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline experienced a significant, but short term increase in call volume the day before and after the election this past November. On Monday, November 7, 2016, there was a 15% increase in Lifeline calls, and a 51% increase on the Spanish Lifeline number. There were two “spikes”—or surges—in call volume on… View Article Published on - January 19, 2017 11:25 am Published by - Leave your thoughts

Governor Cuomo Signs New York Step Therapy Bill

Governor Andrew Cuomo signed a bill Saturday changing the rules surrounding step therapy, a process by which insurers can require that certain drugs be tried first before approving a physician’s prescription. The bill, which passed unanimously in the State Senate and Assembly, does not ban the use of step therapy but does provide rules governing… View Article Published on - January 6, 2017 11:22 am Published by - Leave your thoughts