Saint Joseph’s Medical Center expands behavioral health crisis services
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, elevated adverse mental health conditions have plagued patients. Youths, minorities and caregivers are experiencing worse mental health outcomes, increased substance use and severe behavioral health crises. To address these concerns among its patient population, Saint Joseph’s Medical Center is using grant funding to expand much-needed behavioral health services to its community.
In October 2021, SJMC received a $250,000, one-year grant to be used to increase access to behavioral health crisis services and to have St. Vincent’s Hospital Westchester in Harrison (a division of SJMC) become the suicide hotline service for Westchester County. This grant was made possible by the Westchester Community Foundation, a division of The New York Community Trust.
Grant money comes from the Westchester Health Fund and the Westchester COVID-19 Response Fund and will be used to:
- provide 24/7 telephonic and video coverage for crisis services and expand the mobile resource to evenings and weekends;
- make the Crisis Prevention and Response Team available as an alternative to, or additional support for, 911 responders in cases where individuals are experiencing behavioral health symptoms; and
- recruit and train staff to prepare for the July 2022 launch of the national 988 Lifeline.
In addition to these new services, St. Vincent’s will continue to provide its mobile crisis services, residential services and opioid treatment centers for the community.
For more information, contact Lorraine Horgan, vice president, external affairs, at 914.378.7535 or lhorgan@saintjosephs.org.
