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First Lady McCray Delivers Remarks at the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Health Summit and the Congressional Black Caucus Health and Wellness Luncheon

September 14, 2016

Remarks as Prepared for Delivery 

Remarks delivered at the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Health Summit:

Buenas dias!  And thank you to Congressman Ruiz for that wonderful introduction…

… and to the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute for the chance to talk about how we can bring more Latinos into our healthcare system—including our mental healthcare system.

Because make no mistake about it—we are facing a mental health crisis—and we need all the help we can get.

Just imagine if one out of every five Americans had Zika right now. It’s all we’d be talking about. 

Well, one in five adult Americans IS suffering from a mental health condition. 

And 15 percent of Latina adolescents in our country have attempted suicide at least once.

But for so long now, we have looked the other way while this crisis corroded our communities.

My passion comes from personal experience. Both of my parents suffered from depression. And over the years, so many people I know, so many people I love—including my own daughter—have grappled with mental illness and substance misuse. Too many families are devastated by the tragedy of suicide and the haunting “whys” that never go away. Too many families struggle with the hardship of illnesses that can be treated.

So when Bill became Mayor and I became First Lady, I knew we had to do everything possible to bring comfort and resources to those who are suffering. And that is how ThriveNYC was born.

ThriveNYC
 is the most comprehensive mental health plan of any city or state in the nation. 

Our goal is to change the culture around mental health, and improve the way the city and its partners deliver services.

We’re backing that goal up with real money—almost a billion dollars over four years.

And we’re making cultural competence a priority. 

It’s common sense. We need people who can speak to clients in their own language—people who understand the health challenges facing a community because they’re from that community.

Last spring, we worked with the City University of New York to organize a Workforce Summit with leaders from many sectors, including medicine, academia, insurance, and labor, to develop strategies for diversifying the field and creating a pipeline for talent. 

And we are actively recruiting Latino social workers to join our Mental Health Service Corps, which is sending hundreds of physicians and social workers out into high-need neighborhoods, which is where we need them. 

We are also reaching Latinos through Connections to Care, which brings mental health resources into community-based organizations that already provide other services to the most vulnerable New Yorkers…

… organizations like the Committee for Hispanic Children and Families, and Voces Latinas.

But for all of our early success reaching under-served communities, we can only do so much on our own. 

Back in May, I traveled to DC and spoke about the need for federal action with many different leaders, including the Congressional Tri-Caucus.

I’m pleased to note that we’ve made a lot of progress since then.

We are very excited that Secretary Hillary Clinton recently released a mental health policy agenda, which reflects most of the principles embedded in ThriveNYC. It is unprecedented for mental health to receive this kind of attention, and on this scale.
Exciting things are also happening in Congress, which is considering two promising pieces of mental health legislation. Please help us make sure they include funding devoted exclusively to mental health, and more support for bringing mental health services into primary care settings.
Congress also deserves credit for passing the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act, or CARA, which addresses the opioid crisis.

But there is no funding to support it. So please, work with us to change that.

To learn more about the work we are doing in New York City, please take a look at the palm card we provided, which includes the address for our website: nyc.gov/thrivenyc.

I also invite you to talk with my colleague Alfonso Lopez after the event. Alfonso, would you raise your hand? Alfonso happens to be a CHCI alumni—we know where to find the best people!
Mental illness does not discriminate—but our current system does. I look forward to working with the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and its supporters to create a mental health system that works for everyone. Thank you!

 

Remarks delivered at the Congressional Black Caucus Health and Wellness Luncheon

Thank you Congresswoman Christenson! Good afternoon, everyone! 

I appreciate the opportunity to participate in this conversation about how to improve the health of our people—particularly our mental health.

Because make no mistake about it—we are facing a mental health crisis in this country.

Just imagine if one out of every five Americans had Zika right now. It’s all we’d be talking about. 

Well, one in five adult Americans is suffering from a mental health condition. 

And people of African descent are 40 percent less likely than those of European ancestry to have received mental health treatment or counseling.

But for so long now, we have looked the other way while this crisis corroded our communities.

My passion comes from personal experience. Both of my parents suffered from depression. And over the years, so many people I know, so many people I love—including my own daughter—have grappled with mental illness and substance misuse. Too many families are devastated by the tragedy of suicide and the haunting “whys” that never go away. Too many families struggle with the hardship of illnesses that can be treated.

So when Bill became Mayor and I became First Lady, I knew we had to do everything possible to bring comfort and resources to those who are suffering. And that is how ThriveNYC was born.

ThriveNYC
 is the most comprehensive mental health plan of any city or state in the nation. Our goal is to change the culture around mental health, and improve the way the city and its partners deliver services.

Let's take a look at this video, which explains our vision:

Pretty cool, right? And we’re already making progress. Here’s just a taste of what we’ve accomplished in less than a year:

We organized a Weekend of Faith for Mental Health, when a thousand houses of worship put mental health at the top of their agenda.

Because people are more likely to talk about what troubles their mind in a place where they feel safe.

We are on track to make sure every one of the 1700 schools in our system—serving 1.1 million kids—has a mental health consultant or mental health clinic by the end of 2016.

Because to educate the whole child, we must nurture the whole mind.

We launched a Mental Health Service Corps, which is sending hundreds of physicians and social workers where they are needed most, including primary care clinics. 

Because in order to reach people who have fallen through the cracks of the insurance system, we need go out and find them.

And we created Connections to Care, which brings mental health resources into community-based organizations that already provide other services to the most vulnerable New Yorkers.
Because we need to make it easier for people to find a mental health professional who looks like them and speaks their language—someone they can trust.

But for all of our early success with ThriveNYC, we can only do so much on our own.

Back in May, I traveled to DC and spoke about the need for federal action with many different leaders, including the Congressional Tri-Caucus.

I’m pleased to note that we’ve made a lot of progress since then.

We are very excited that Secretary Hillary Clinton recently released a mental health policy agenda, which reflects most of the principles embedded in ThriveNYC. It is unprecedented for mental health to receive this kind of attention.

Exciting things are also happening in Congress, which is considering two promising pieces of mental health legislation. But we need your help to make sure there is funding devoted exclusively to mental health, and more support for bringing mental health services into primary care settings.

Congress also deserves credit for passing the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act, or CARA, which addresses the opioid crisis.

But there's no money to support it. So please, help us change that.

To learn more about the work we are doing in New York City, please take a look at the palm card we provided, which includes the address for our website: nyc.gov/thrivenyc.

I also invite you to talk with my colleague Walt Bishop after the event. Walt, can you raise your hand?   

Mental illness does not discriminate—but our current system does. I look forward to working with the members of the Congressional Black Caucus to create a mental health system that works for all of us. Thank you! 

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