“Our city’s COVID-19 response and recovery is three-fold – mental, physical, and economic. Today’s announcement shifts the focus onto the biggest challenge that we face even prior to the pandemic, ensuring that mental health support is accessible to all New Yorkers – particularly in Black and Brown communities that have been disproportionately affected by violence, health disparities, the loss of loved ones and housing instability.

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“Fair and equitable access to mental health services has been an issue for New Yorkers who are members of communities that have been historically underserved by the current healthcare system, whether it be those living in minority communities dubbed “mental health deserts”, those suffering from homelessness, substance abuse, and disabilities, or those who are part of the criminal justice system.

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“From a global pandemic to a racial reckoning, families across our city have undergone traumatic and life-altering experiences that disproportionately affected Black and brown households. Our children are struggling to comprehend the crises that we are facing, adapting to the drastic changes, while focusing on their schoolwork. We urgently need expanded access to mental health support to meet these unprecedented challenges and remove the socio-emotional barriers that could hinder our students’ ability to excel in school.

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