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NORTH AMERICAN Newsline MAY 31, 2024 | The Indian Eye 22

NYC Mayor Celebrates Early Success of ‘NYC Teenspace,’

Free Tele-Mental Health Service for Teenagers

6,800 Teenagers Signed Up for Service in First 6 Months, With Strong Uptake in Underserved Neighborhoods

OUR BUREAU
NEW YORK, NY

ix months after launching “NYC
Teenspace ” — a free tele-men-
Stal health service available to
all New York City teenagers between
the ages of 13 and 17 years old —
New York City Mayor Eric Adams
and New York City Department of
Health and Mental Hygiene Com-
missioner (DOHMH) Dr. Ashwin
Vasan have updated New Yorkers on
the program’s progress, announcing
that more than 6,800 teenagers have
already signed up for the service.
Early data shows that 65 percent of
users reported improvement in their
mental health and provides valu-
able insight into teenagers’ reasons
for seeking help. Additionally, un-
derserved neighborhoods, including
Brownsville and East New York, led
the city in signups while 80 percent
of users identified as Black, Hispan-
ic, Asian American and Pacific Is-
lander (AAPI), bi-racial, or Native
American. NYC Teenspace — creat-
ed in partnership with online therapy all related to our mental health, but of the potential to serve many more DOHMH to ensure our young peo-
platform Talkspace — allows New especially so for our young people. teens in need. We also look at this ple are fully supported and set up for
York City teenagers to connect with We’ve seen higher rates of anxiety with humility, because we are just at long-term success, inside and outside
a licensed therapist through phone, and depression among our young the beginning of this journey in New of our classrooms.”
video, and text on any mobile device people, made especially difficult by York City, and we still have much to The most frequently cited rea-
completely free-of-charge. the challenges of growing up in a so- improve on and to learn, most impor- sons teenagers gave for using the
“With teenage anxiety on the rise, cial media world,” said Deputy May- tantly from young people themselves. platform included: feeling down or
we made clear that New York City or for Health and Human Services But one thing is clear, we have torn depressed, improving relationships
would get our young people the help Anne Williams-Isom. “‘NYC Teens- down some obstacles to care, opened (which was first among girls), becom-
they need and provide teenagers with pace’ offers a critical tool to support the door to mental health support ing their best self, anxiety (which was
free tele-mental health services. Six young people, ages 13 to 17, on their using a modern approach, and teens first among boys), and difficulties at
months later, the data shows our ef- smartphones via talk, text, or video, are choosing to walk through. We’re home or school. When it came to
forts are paying off, and we’ve already chat so they can engage in ways that stepping up to the challenge of our engaging in therapy, more than 42
helped more than 6,800 teenagers work for them. In the first six months youth mental health crisis with what- percent of users utilized both live
get the mental health care they need of this initiative, nearly 7,000 young ever it takes, because we know we video sessions and messaging. Four
through ‘NYC Teenspace,’” said May- people have signed up and four out can’t afford to wait, and the cost of percent of users engaged in live video
or Adams. “We’ve brought therapy of five users are from Black and inaction is too high.” sessions only, while 54 percent exclu-
and mental health resources to thou- Brown communities, which we know “Student safety and well-being, sively used messaging.
sands of New York City teenagers, but were some of the hardest hit during including emotional well-being, re- NYC Teenspace comes at a
we didn’t stop there. We filed a lawsuit the pandemic. This initiative is just mains a top priority for New York critical moment for teenage men-
to hold the companies that own five one piece of our broader family and City Public Schools. ‘NYC Teenspace’ tal health. According to DOHMH’s
social media platforms accountable youth mental health strategy.” has positively impacted so many of data from 2019, 36 percent of New
for their harmful behavior and made “We view the early results of our children and highlights how im- York City high schoolers reported
the right investments to put nearly ‘NYC Teenspace’ with pride, excite- portant accessible services like this feeling so sad or hopeless almost ev-
500 social workers and psychologists ment, and humility,” said DOHMH are for our community,” said New ery day for at least two weeks during
in our schools. While this progress is Commissioner Dr. Vasan. “Pride, York City Department of Education the past 12 months that they stopped
encouraging, we will keep working to because we’ve stepped up to the Chancellor David C. Banks. “In addi- doing their usual activities; that fig-
meet every teenager where they are challenge of our youth mental health tion to the robust set of mental health ure rose to 38 percent in 2021. Latino
and make sure that all New York- crisis with innovative tools that teens supports already available to our and Black students were significantly
ers are cared for and supported.” are actually using and getting the sup- students, we remain committed to more likely than white students to re-
“The pandemic was tough on us port they need. Excitement, because working with our agency partners at port feeling sad or hopeless.

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