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Behavioral Health

About Behavioral Health

Partnerships for Community Wellness is dedicated to fostering a community where young people can live with hope, love, and dignity. We work with organizations across the behavioral health spectrum, from prevention to recovery, to improve behavioral health treatment on this amazing borough and beyond. 

We strive to reverse the troubling trends that we are seeing locally and nationally about youth rates of substance use, overdose, depression, suicidal ideation and other mental illnesses. We approach all of our work around behavioral health with a systems lens that prioritizes health equity and collaboration across organizations, caregivers/families, and young people.

The Issue

  • SI has historically had one of the highest rates of overdose deaths and youth substance misuse.
  • Extremely potent substances like fentanyl and medetomidine continue to pose a threat in our communities by driving nearly three-quarters of overdose deaths.
  • Mental health and substance use are often co-occurring and share similar risk and protective factors
  • On SI, youth suicidal ideation is at an alarming and unacceptable rate
  • In NYC, suicide deaths increased from 2013 to 2022

Strategies

  • Work with other partners to create community conditions that enhance emotional well-being and reduce the risk of suicide, substance use, and overdose for youth and their loved ones. 
  • Work with health and behavioral health providers, government officials, and institutional leaders from schools, hospitals, and organizations to identify and fill gaps in the behavioral health prevention, early intervention, treatment, harm reduction, and recovery infrastructure. 
  • Educate the community on risk factors and warning signs for behavioral health problems and direct people on how, when, and where to access help.

Impact

  • In NYC, overdose deaths decreased to pre-pandemic levels for the first time since 2021. 
  • Changed from 44.5 per 100k to 31.7 per 100k, a 29% decrease. 
  • Dissemination of essential harm reduction materials
  • Distributed 5,403 Narcan kits, 3,772 fentanyl test strips, 3,612 xylazine test strips 
  • Trained 954 youth and 119 adults in behavioral health workshops
  • Over 50 individuals and organizations engaged in our behavioral health coalition, TYSA

Current Initiatives

In Crisis?

If you are in crisis, need help now, or simply need someone to talk to, Dial, Chat, or Text 988 to be connected to trained crisis counselors 24/7

Partnerships for Community Wellness is a public health nonprofit dedicated to serving Staten Island and beyond. We focus on behavioral health, maternal and child health, and emerging public health issues.

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