The Indian Panorama

Tag: Chirlane McCray

  • THRIVENYC- FIRST LADY CHIRLANE MCCRAY ANNOUNCES EXPANSION OF MATERNAL DEPRESSION SCREENING TO ALL NYC HEALTH + HOSPITALS

    THRIVENYC- FIRST LADY CHIRLANE MCCRAY ANNOUNCES EXPANSION OF MATERNAL DEPRESSION SCREENING TO ALL NYC HEALTH + HOSPITALS

    Kicker:Removing stigma and identifying depression help women get the support they need

    NEW YORK CITY (TIP): First Lady Chirlane McCray announced, May 18, that all NYC Health + Hospitals locations citywide will now provide maternal depression screenings for pregnant women and new mothers. Through an expansion under ThriveNYC, depression screenings will be adopted as a routine part of care at pre-natal clinics at 12 NYC Health + Hospital sites, including all 11 hospitals and NYC Health + Hospitals/Gotham Health, Gouverneur, a large community health center on the Lower East Side.

    The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 1 in 9 women experience maternal depression. Yet too often, maternal depression goes undiagnosed because many providers do not regularly provide screenings and women are afraid of the stigma associated with the condition. Universal screening ensures that pregnant women and new mothers get the support they need to recover and fully bond with their new babies.

    “Maternal depression is common. It’s also treatable – but only if women know to get help,” said the First Lady of NYC Chirlane McCray, who spearheads the city’s efforts on mental health and substance misuse. “Too often, women are afraid to admit that they’re struggling because they don’t understand that their pain is a real, clinical condition and they don’t want to be labeled a bad mom. Universal screening for maternal depression reminds women they should never feel ashamed for needing help. It also connects them to care early so they can recover and experience the joy of a new baby. I’m so proud that Health + Hospitals will be screening every new mother. We will continue to help transform the culture around postpartum depression and connect new families to essential resources.”

    Deputy Mayor for Strategic Policy Initiatives Richard Buery said, “Each year in New York City, several thousands of women experience depression after pregnancy, yet, for many, the fear of looking like a ‘bad mother’ prevents them from reaching out for the care they need. By making maternal depression screening available at all Health + Hospitals locations Citywide, ThriveNYC removes stigma as a barrier for seeking help and closes a critical treatment gap – providing new mothers the right interventions at the right time to ensure they and their newborn can have a healthy and stable transition into their new life together.”

    “Depression screening is the first step toward addressing the overall wellness of pregnant women and new moms,” said Gregory Calliste, CEO of NYC Health + Hospitals/Woodhull. “Once a need is identified it is essential to have services in place and ready to address the patient’s concerns. Woodhull’s Mothers Support Groups were designed to increase access to timely mental health services to address maternal depression and provide women with a necessary support system. We are encouraged by the impact the program has been having on the lives of the women we treat and look forward to expanding our efforts.”

    Every year, over 18,000 newborns are delivered in the NYC Health + Hospitals system. Since April 2016, NYC Health + Hospitals has screened over 6,500 pre-natal patients and over 2,700 post-partum patients. NYC Health + Hospitals expects to screen 15,000 patients over the next year through the expansion of the program.

    The screenings are conducted through a series of questions known as the PHQ-9 tool, which is typically self-administered by patients during the intake process. In the last year, nine percent of pre-natal patients screened positive for maternal depression. A continued effort to address stigma through ThriveNYC public awareness campaigns and other forms of outreach aims to further reduce the number of women who refuse treatment or fail to appear for follow-up appointments.

    The maternal depression screening project is an initiative of ThriveNYC, New York City’s comprehensive plan to overhaul the City’s approach to mental health by removing stigma as a barrier for seeking care and increasing the availability of treatment options. The initiative established a citywide collaborative to increase maternal depression screening at hospitals responsible for 80% of the live births in New York City, which includes members of the Greater New York Hospital Association.

    “Screening for maternal depression has been an important part of my Family- Friendly Brooklyn vision, a vision that promotes a borough where we raise healthy children and families,” said Brooklyn Borough President Eric L. Adams. “I have been proud to partner with organizations like the Seleni Institute to help train practitioners, and I’m pleased that NYC Health + Hospitals is expanding screenings across its system. I call on the State to fully fund maternal depression screening, as we look to support every pregnant woman and new mom in New York.”

    “By expanding these critical maternal depression screenings across our public health system, our City’s new moms and soon to- be-moms will be able to receive adequate support, resources and treatment,” said State Senator Gustavo Rivera. “I commend First Lady Chirlane McCray, Thrive NYC, and NYC Health + Hospitals for ensuring that new families across our City receive the assistance they need.”

    “Having a baby can be an incredible and rewarding experience for moms and families, but it is also a very challenging time,” said State Senator Liz Krueger. “Many women experience symptoms of maternal depression without knowing what’s happening to them, and without having access to diagnosis and treatment. But once diagnosed, maternal depression is very treatable. That’s why the First Lady’s initiative is so important. I thank her for her efforts on this issue, and NYC Health + Hospitals for looking after the mental health of New York’s new moms and families.”

    Assistant Speaker Felix W. Ortiz said, “I welcome additional screening for pregnant women and new mothers, a program I’ve long championed in Albany since I chaired the Mental Health Committee and where I have a bill to mandate this effort statewide. This is a welcome development for our growing communities with so many children and growing families. Healthy mothers lead to healthier families.”

    “I commend First Lady Chirlane McCray for this bold initiative,” said Assembly Member Roxanne Persaud. “Too long has mental health been something discussed only in the shadows. We must provide holistic health for all New Yorkers especially women when they are most vulnerable. The mental health of our mothers is vital to the overall health of the family unit.”

    “This is a tremendous step to making sure that new and expecting moms are getting the care they need,” said Council Member Andrew Cohen. “NYC Health + Hospitals will not only help diagnose women struggling with mental illness, they will break the stigma around maternal depression, which continues to be a barrier to proper treatment.”

    “Becoming a mom is one of the most beautiful and challenging experiences a woman can have,” said Council Member Julissa Ferreras-Copeland. “If a new mother is having difficulty transitioning, she should have the support and education she needs to ensure she can keep herself and her family healthy. I commend the First Lady for yet another valuable investment in the health of women through ThriveNYC. And I look forward to supporting this initiative so that New York City families may continue to grow here.”

    “As co-chair of the City Council Women’s Caucus and a mother, I want to commend NYC Health + Hospitals for including depression screening as part of the care plan for new mothers at all of its hospitals. It’s critical that all new moms get the physical and emotional support they need as soon as possible. Postpartum depression is treatable and should not be stigmatized. NYC HHC is leading the way in adopting a new approach to this not unusual result of childbirth,” said Council Member Helen Rosenthal.

    About NYC Health + Hospitals

    NYC Health + Hospitals is the largest public health care system in the nation, serving more than a million New Yorkers annually in more than 70 patient care locations across the city’s five boroughs. A robust network of outpatient, neighborhood-based primary and specialty care centers anchors care coordination with the system’s trauma centers, nursing homes, post-acute care centers, home care agency, and MetroPlus health plan-all supported by 11 essential hospitals. Its diverse workforce of more than 42,000 employees is uniquely focused on empowering New Yorkers, without exception, to live the healthiest life possible. For more information, visit

    www.nychealthandhospitals.org and stay connected on

    Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/NYCHealthandHospitals or

    Twitter at @NYCHealthSystem.

    About NYC Health + Hospitals/Woodhull

    NYC Health + Hospitals/Woodhull, a 388- bed, acute care hospital in Brooklyn, has been serving the residents of Williamsburg, Bushwick, Greenpoint, Fort Greene, and Bedford-Stuyvesant for 35 years. Its mission is to provide comprehensive, high-quality care in a culturally sensitive manner to all individuals, regardless of their ability to pay. A part of NYC Health + Hospitals, the largest public health care system in the nation, the hospital is affiliated with the New York University School of Medicine.

     

  • Mental Health program for seniors launched in NYC

    Mental Health program for seniors launched in NYC

    NEW YORK (TIP): ThriveNYC’s Geriatric Mental Health Initiative, a package of mental health services that will be offered at 15 senior centers this year and at an additional ten centers in 2017, was launched on December 7 by First Lady Chirlane McCray, Deputy Mayor Richard Buery, and Department for the Aging Commissioner Donna Corrado.

    Mental health clinicians will provide on-site therapy, as well as educational workshops, mental health screening, referrals, and engagement activities that help de-stigmatize mental illness. Through ThriveNYC, the Department for the Aging will also launch friendly visiting to homebound seniors to help prevent social isolation, which increases the risk of chronic health conditions, depression, anxiety and other serious health issues.

    The service will be provided through trained volunteers working with coordinators at the case management agencies. The volunteers will seek to develop meaningful relationships with the individuals they visit and to engage them in activities like shopping, library visits, and local senior center visits. To enrich the service, volunteers and friendly visiting coordinators will be trained on mental health first-aid because social isolation can put seniors at risk for mental health problems. An important purpose of the visiting service will be to link clients identified by their visitors as needing mental health intervention to appropriate resources.

  • NY Mayor elect’s daughter speaks of her struggle with substance abuse

    NY Mayor elect’s daughter speaks of her struggle with substance abuse

    I.S. Saluja:
    NEW YORK (TIP): Coming on Christmas eve, Chiara de Blasio’s statement about her battle with substance abuse must inspire those, particularly the young, suffering from the scourge. The 19-year-old daughter of New York City Mayor-elect Bill de Blasio is reported to have spoken about her personal struggles, saying she spent years battling substance abuse and depression, in a four minute video released Tuesday, December 24, on the eve of Christmas by the incoming mayor’s transition team. She said she drank alcohol and smoked marijuana to deal with clinical depression and anxiety.

    “It made it easier, the more I drank and did drugs, to share some common ground with people,” she said, speaking under soft lights with piano music tinkling in the background. “It didn’t start out as, like, a huge thing for me, but then it became a really huge thing for me.” She said she thought she could escape the problem by leaving for college in California, but her sense of “physical insecurity” only grew worse. “My mom was trying really hard to help me and my dad was doing the same, but obviously he was really busy,” she said.

    “They were both very emotionally committed to trying to find out some way to get me better.” De Blasio said she eventually found success in group therapy at a treatment center in New York. “Removing substances from my life opened so many doors for me. I was actually able to participate in my dad’s campaign,” she said in the video. “Getting sober is always a positive thing, and by no means is it easy – it’s the hardest thing I’ve ever done – but it’s so worth it.”In a statement accompanying the video, Bill de Blasio and his wife, Chirlane McCray, said they were “so proud of Chiara and love her deeply.”

    “As parents, our instinct has been to protect our daughter and privately help her through a deeply personal struggle,” they said in the statement. “But not only has Chiara committed to her own health, she is also committed to helping young people everywhere who face similar challenges.” The campaign did not say what prompted it to release the video on Christmas Eve, a day when many news consumers are more concerned with travel or shopping than current events. The announcement was framed as a way to help others struggling with depression and substance abuse during the holiday season. Rumors swirled during the mayoral primary campaign that Chiara had battled drug issues.

    But the de Blasio campaign fiercely beat back reporters who pursued the topic, saying that his two children were off limits from the press. No media outlet published a story. Yet even as the campaign pleaded for privacy, de Blasio’s family played a key role in his campaign. De Blasio was frequently joined at campaign events by his wife, and McCray is considered his top adviser who will wield considerable influence at City Hall. Both Chiara and her brother stumped for their father and appeared in television ads. Dante appeared first, and the teen’s soaring Afro and heartfelt descriptions of his father was the most effective ad of the campaign, helping de Blasio surge in the polls.

    Chiara de Blasio’s ad appeared closer to Election Day and she gave a sunny description of her dad’s vision “that leaves no one behind.” She also introduced her father at his raucous primary night party. She gave one hint about some of her struggles after being spotted in tears at a parade in September. She told reporters that she sometimes suffered from anxiety. In the hours after the video was released, de Blasio briefly appeared outside his Brooklyn home and, flanked by the other three members of his family, repeated how proud he was of his daughter. The mayor-elect did not take questions.

    During the campaign, de Blasio spoke about his father’s substance abuse, particularly with alcohol. His father later committed suicide.White House Drug Policy Director Gil Kerlikowske released a statement late Tuesday praising Chiara de Blasio’s decision “to give voice to the millions who suffer from substance abuse disorders.”

  • NY Mayor elect’s daughter speaks of her struggle with substance abuse

    NY Mayor elect’s daughter speaks of her struggle with substance abuse

    NEW YORK (TIP): Coming on Christmas eve, Chiara de Blasio’s statement about her battle with substance abuse must inspire those, particularly the young, suffering from the scourge. The 19-year-old daughter of New York City Mayor-elect Bill de Blasio is reported to have spoken about her personal struggles, saying she spent years battling substance abuse and depression, in a four minute video released Tuesday, December 24, on the eve of Christmas by the incoming mayor’s transition team. She said she drank alcohol and smoked marijuana to deal with clinical depression and anxiety.

    “It made it easier, the more I drank and did drugs, to share some common ground with people,” she said, speaking under soft lights with piano music tinkling in the background. “It didn’t start out as, like, a huge thing for me, but then it became a really huge thing for me.” She said she thought she could escape the problem by leaving for college in California, but her sense of “physical insecurity” only grew worse. “My mom was trying really hard to help me and my dad was doing the same, but obviously he was really busy,” she said. “They were both very emotionally committed to trying to find out some way to get me better.” De Blasio said she eventually found success in group therapy at a treatment center in New York. “Removing substances from my life opened so many doors for me. I was actually able to participate in my dad’s campaign,” she said in the video. “Getting sober is always a positive thing, and by no means is it easy – it’s the hardest thing I’ve ever done – but it’s so worth it.

    “In a statement accompanying the video, Bill de Blasio and his wife, Chirlane McCray, said they were “so proud of Chiara and love her deeply.” “As parents, our instinct has been to protect our daughter and privately help her through a deeply personal struggle,” they said in the statement. “But not only has Chiara committed to her own health, she is also committed to helping young people everywhere who face similar challenges.” The campaign did not say what prompted it to release the video on Christmas Eve, a day when many news consumers are more concerned with travel or shopping than current events. The announcement was framed as a way to help others struggling with depression and substance abuse during the holiday season. Rumors swirled during the mayoral primary campaign that Chiara had battled drug issues. But the de Blasio campaign fiercely beat back reporters who pursued the topic, saying that his two children were off limits from the press. No media outlet published a story.

    Yet even as the campaign pleaded for privacy, de Blasio’s family played a key role in his campaign. De Blasio was frequently joined at campaign events by his wife, and McCray is considered his top adviser who will wield considerable influence at City Hall. Both Chiara and her brother stumped for their father and appeared in television ads. Dante appeared first, and the teen’s soaring Afro and heartfelt descriptions of his father was the most effective ad of the campaign, helping de Blasio surge in the polls. Chiara de Blasio’s ad appeared closer to Election Day and she gave a sunny description of her dad’s vision “that leaves no one behind.” She also introduced her father at his raucous primary night party. She gave one hint about some of her struggles after being spotted in tears at a parade in September. She told reporters that she sometimes suffered from anxiety.

    In the hours after the video was released, de Blasio briefly appeared outside his Brooklyn home and, flanked by the other three members of his family, repeated how proud he was of his daughter. The mayor-elect did not take questions.During the campaign, de Blasio spoke about his father’s substance abuse, particularly with alcohol. His father later committed suicide.White House Drug Policy Director Gil Kerlikowske released a statement late Tuesday praising Chiara de Blasio’s decision “to give voice to the millions who suffer from substance abuse disorders.”

  • Mohammed Jaffer Renowned Photo Editor of SnapsIndia USA

    Mohammed Jaffer Renowned Photo Editor of SnapsIndia USA

    Mohammed Jaffer Renowned Photo Editor of SnapsIndia USA was with Hillary Clinton when she greeted the newly elected New York City Mayor Bill de Blassio and his wife Chirlane McCray