First lady updates Muslim leaders about mental health initiatives

First Lady Chirlane McCray stopped by Queens Hospital Center in Jamaica Monday afternoon to discuss ongoing mental health initiatives with leaders in the Muslim community.

She was joined by Deputy Mayor Richard Buery, who led the charge to implement universal pre-kindergarten in the city. He's now tasked with helping ThriveNYC, Mayor Bill de Blasio's plan to address mental health illness.

McCray began by calling mental health a crisis in New York City. She cited that one in five New Yorkers suffer from a mental health condition in any given year.

"It's a statistic that comes as a surprise to some people because of the lack of education, because of ignorance and fear," she said.

But she added that that number probably isn't shocking to Muslim leaders because they often hear about mental health conditions from community members.

"People often tell you things they wouldn't tell anyone else," McCray said. "Many of you are already front-line workers and the first responders to all kinds of mental distress in all its forms. Through your faith, you provide those in need with spiritual strength and comfort."

Buery said of ThriveNYC's goal is getting rid of the stigma around mental health and making resources more accessible.

"What we really want to do is make sure every individual, every community can get the help they need when they need it and how they need it," Buery said.

He added that the city is investing $850 million over four years to mental health resources.

"This is not just about talking the talk, we are walking the walk," he said.

Although ThriveNYC has 54 initiatives in total, McCray highlighted four specific ones to community members at the meeting.

The first is a virtual learning center, where faith and community leaders can get more training and information about mental health. McCray said there will be a website where people can connect to existing city resources.

Another initiative in the plan is a faith-based mental health weekend, where religious leaders of all communities will spend a weekend focusing on well-being and where people can turn to for help.

McCray also said ThriveNYC is focusing on postpartum depression. She said one in 10 city women are affected by it.

"Too often women don't seek help because they're afraid of being labeled as bad mothers," she said. "That's why we've committed to screening all pregnant women and new mothers for postpartum depression. And if they need help, we're going to connect all of them to ongoing care."

The last initiative she raised was training 250,000 New Yorkers in mental health first aid. She said after she took a course, she was aware of identifying the signs and symptoms of mental illnesses. She also learned when to intervene in a crisis.

Buery also spelled out some components of the comprehensive plan that are included in a 191-page booklet handed out to community members when they walked into the room. Among the initiatives is equipping teachers with "better tools" to improve social and emotional learning in elementary schools.

"We are bringing dozens of school-based mental health clinics to schools and the communities that need them most," Buery said.

The city also plans to create NYC Support, a number New Yorkers can dial and a website they can connect to for crisis counseling and support.

"The only way we're going to be successful is by working closely with every neighborhood and every community to get positive feedback and constructive criticism, advice and support," he said.

Muslim leaders asked questions and commented on the need for more mental health resources in their communities. Many thanked McCray and Buery for prioritizing mental health, and one community leader said these initiatives should have come after the attacks on September 11.

A prominent question was about the role police officers would have in the Thrive NYC initiative. McCray said the plan is to train 5,000 police officers to spot the signs of mental health illnesses. Buery added that it's important to retrain the police force so they can identify the issues and have an appropriate response.

"Too often, our police force becomes our primary mental health responders, which for a number of reasons is not ideal," he said.