CLOSE
Tags Posts tagged with "mental health awareness"

mental health awareness

by -
0 458
Port Jefferson Station/Terryville civic association president, Ira Costell and vice president, Carolyn Sagliocca at the May 28 meeting. Photo by Samantha Rutt

By Samantha Rutt

Port Jefferson Station/Terryville Civic Association held its monthly meeting at the Comsewogue Public Library on Tuesday, May 28, where members discussed various projects and concerns surrounding the community.

Headlining the meeting, civic president, Ira Costell addressed the current status of the Train Car Park located off Nesconset Highway in Port Jefferson Station. 

The park has recently undergone a remodeling project after a car accident displaced the preexisting park. The renovated park will be unveiled July 3 with a celebratory free concert for the community and a ceremonial ribbon cutting.

Community members interested can purchase a custom-inscribed brick to be placed in the park. All proceeds will go toward the local chamber of commerce to restore the flagpole damaged from the accident.

Following mention of the Train Car Park project, Costell shared the winners of the civic association’s scholarship — awarded to two Comsewogue High School students who have displayed remarkable community service. The winners will be announced and given their respective scholarships in June.

Concerns addressed

Ongoing concerns in the community also had a place at the table on May 28. Residents and civic members shared disquiet over the few homeless individuals frequently found sleeping near the Train Car Park. 

One resident recalled a woman and a man allegedly engaging in “inappropriate activities” and soliciting money from drivers along the roadway. Costell and civic association vice president, Carolyn Sagliocca, plan to coordinate with the Suffolk County COPE and mental health services to help mitigate this issue.

“We have been communicating extensively with Officer Berry — a Suffolk County COPE officer. Berry just wrote a letter because it’s not only at the Train Car Park, we had an encampment that was right outside the library across the street.” Costell said.

Another concern addressed was that of the proposed Staller development — an ongoing issue in this community. At the last meeting, the civic addressed the Town of Brookhaven in a letter asking for a comprehensive traffic study for the area surrounding the proposed development. [See story “Port Jefferson Station/Terryville civic requests traffic study,” TBR News Media website, May 3.] 

Since the submission of the letter, the civic has not heard from the town or any other respective members. 

“I’m planning on going up to the Town Board at the next meeting to remind them that we would like a seat at the table. We’re entitled — with this kind of development facing us — to have a voice, and we want that heard and respected beyond just the public hearing, for not just that development but multiple developments,” Costell said.

Guest presentations

Irene Michalos and Carol Carter spoke before the civic association about their respective organizations — both seeking to provide a better life for children and families in need.

Michalos heads the Agape Meals for Kids program which provides meals for food-insecure children. 

“There are over 70,000 children on Long Island who are experiencing food insecurity,” Michalos said.

The Agape program provides backpacks with kid-friendly food for children and subsequently delivers the packed bags to partnering school districts each Friday during the school year. 

Contrarily, Carol Carter began her support campaign with a goal to help those experiencing substance use and abuse with a focus on adolescents. Her program, Sunshine Alternative Education & Prevention Center, uses a variety of prevention and education programs to help build drug-free and violence-free communities.

“Erase the stigma. This is something that we need to talk about because everyone has been touched by someone who might have an issue,” Carter shared. “It doesn’t have to be a family member, but a friend who has a problem, maybe related to substance use and abuse.” 

For those in need or interested in more information about these programs visit the websites www.agapemealsforkids.org and sunshinepreventionctr.org.

The next Port Jefferson Station/Terryville Civic Association meeting will be held on June 20 at the Comsewogue Public Library.

by -
0 763
Screenshot

By Samantha Rutt

All members of the Brookhaven Town Board at the May 16 meeting sported a green ribbon to signify their support for mental health awareness. “We are all wearing green ribbons … that is for mental health,” town Supervisor Dan Panico (R) said. “Statistics show one in five people in this country have a mental health issue. It is an issue that touches all of our lives, some of our families and what we want in the Town of Brookhaven for you to know you are not alone.” 

Panico continued, “There is help out there. If you feel you need help or a family member needs help, contact the supervisor’s office or your councilperson.”

Moving on to the public hearing portion of the meeting, several applications were addressed including a modified site plan of Mount Sinai Meadows. The plan to amend the excess materials to be removed from the site was approved and will have no financial impact. 

In Centereach, the Centereach Hyundai filed an application for a change of use for the reduction of the building size from 45,150 square feet to 40,091 square feet, update landscaping, lighting and parking areas, special permit for outdoor parking or overnight parking with variances for property located on the north side of Middle Country Road. The application was approved with oversight from the town Environmental Protection Division ensuring no significant impact on the environment. 

Soon after, the board addressed the resolution agenda portion of the meeting. As part of the town’s agreement with the Long Island Housing Partnership, an extension of the initial agreement was granted. This agreement from May 25, 2022, was created under Title II of the National Affordable Housing Act of 1990. The general purposes of the program include expanding the supply of decent and affordable housing, particularly rental housing, for low and very low-income persons. The program is fully supported with HUD Federal funds. There is an adequate budget of $90K remaining resulting in no financial impact.

A request was made by District 1 councilmember, Jonathan Kornreich (D-Stony Brook) for increased travel efficiency of the Port Jefferson Ferry terminal. The Bridgeport and Port Jefferson Steamboat Company is currently in the process of a major construction project at the ferry terminal by connecting to a sewer line located in a Port Jefferson Village parking lot. Approval of the councilmember’s request is awaiting state Legislature approval. 

Still pending decision, the application by Staller Associates for a zone change from Business to a Commercial Redevelopment District located on Patchogue Road in Port Jefferson Station. The application, initially submitted in 2021, proposes a demolition of an existing commercial building and an addition of a new mixed-use development. The proposed development includes seven commercial buildings for retail, restaurant, health club, professional/medical buildings as well as 280 dwelling units — 20% of which will be marketed as affordable housing units. 

The next Town Board meeting will be held on June 6 at the Town Hall in Farmingville. For more information about the Town Board visit brookhavenny.portal.civicclerk.com.

by -
0 154
CVS Pharmacy

People might soon be able to grab their prescriptions, a bag of potato chips and pick up soap as they head into a new therapy service at their local CVS.

The nation’s pharmacy retail giant has started a new service at several of their stores across the U.S. — offering both walk-in and scheduled sessions for mental health treatment. These appointments are available beyond typical daytime hours, including nights and weekends.

According to a spokesperson with CVS Health, the company began adding licensed clinical social workers trained in cognitive behavioral therapy to 13 locations in the Houston, Philadelphia and Tampa metro areas in January of this year.

These providers will offer mental health assessments, referrals and personalized counseling either in person or via telehealth through MinuteClinics inside CVS HealthHUB store locations.

The spokesperson said the company is planning on expanding to 34 locations this spring. 

“We anticipate expanding mental health services into additional markets in the coming months,” the representative said in an email. “We expect to have more detailed information soon.”

Rite Aid and Walmart have started similar programs, too. 

Dr. Adam Gonzalez.
Photo from Stony Brook Medicine

And although MinuteClinics and the like are not available in New York state yet, Dr. Adam Gonzalez, director of behavioral health and founding director of the Mind-Body Clinical Research Center at the Stony Brook Renaissance School of Medicine, said this could potentially be a good day if such facilities were to come close to home. 

“The COVID-19 pandemic has brought about many challenges and disruptions to our way of life,” he said. “We have seen an increase in depression, anxiety, increased stress overall and grief responses. Recent mental health data from the CDC also highlights an increase in mental health problems, especially among young adults, and importantly, unmet mental health needs.”

According to Gonzalez, a recent CDC report indicates that during August 2020 through this February “the percentage of adults with recent symptoms of an anxiety or a depressive disorder increased from 36.4% to 41.5%, and the percentage of those reporting an unmet mental health care need increased from 9.2% to 11.7%. Increases were largest among adults aged 18–29 years and those with less than a high school education.” 

“There is a great need for mental health awareness and treatment at this time,” Gonzalez added. “A silver lining of the pandemic has been the expansion and use of telehealth as a platform for treatment, allowing patients to participate in mental health treatment from the comfort of their home. However, a limiting factor for accessing care is the availability of providers.”

He said throughout the pandemic, SBU’s Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health saw a great increase in the need for mental health care — so large, it developed a call center.

“Throughout the pandemic we have consistently been receiving over 7,000 calls per month,” the director said. “Evaluating our outpatient data for the three months before the pandemic and the current last three months, there has been a 50% increase in number of visits scheduled for outpatient mental health services. Of note, the number of visits scheduled is limited by the number of providers available to provide services.”

With the need for mental health providers continuing to grow, Gonzalez said additional services — like the ones at the CVS pharmacy chain — could be helpful.

“I think having services available at CVS could help with normalizing mental health treatment and increasing access to care,” he said. “The more mental health service options available to the community, the better. One consideration is the type and quality of care to be delivered. Although it is important to increase access, we also want to make sure that the quality of care being delivered is high.”

But if and when the retailers open up shop on Long Island, Stony Brook Medicine is working on finding ways to reduce feelings of hopelessness and distress. 

“We are actively working on investigating various methods of delivering care to help with increasing access to treatment and addressing the mental health needs of the community,” Gonzalez said. 

These methods include expanding group-based services, utilizing a collaborative care model that involves working closely with primary care physicians and behavioral health care managers for medication management, and utilizing skills-based single-session interventions. 

“We have been working with Dr. Jessica Schleider in the Department of Psychology at Stony Brook University to implement and study a problem-solving single-session intervention,” he added. “Initial data indicates that these sessions help with improving agency — motivation for change — and reduce feelings of hopelessness and distress.”

by -
0 1723

Superintendent's Council creates 31-minute video to share with their peers

Kings Park student members of the Superintendent's Council stand with school staff and elected officials. Photo from Kings Park school district

By Amanda Perelli

Kings Park students are going digital in the national debate of mental health awareness to raise awareness among their peers and inform community leaders.

Students in Kings Park school district worked to create a nearly 31-minute video to spread mental health awareness in the community and with elected officials.

The Superintendent’s Council, a group of more than 30 Kings Park students from grades four through 12. The council is made up of approximately four students per grade, who are elected by their peers in fourth grade and remain a part of the council through graduation.

“We got to talk about mental health, a big conversation not only in Kings Park, but all around the country.”
– Timothy Eagen

Timothy Eagen, superintendent of Kings Park school district, said that this year’s council was focused on mental health. The students invited Suffolk County Legislator Rob Trotta (R-Fort Salonga) to a council meeting in March, where he spoke about his role in local government. As a result of that meeting, council members decided to create a video covering stress and anxiety; vaping, smoking, and substance use/abuse; and online safety to raise awareness of mental health in the community.

“They are just a great group of student leaders that I use to bounce ideas off of and pick their brain and insight on a student perspective,” Eagen said. “We got to talk about mental health, a big conversation not only in Kings Park, but all around the country.”

The students filmed themselves, teachers and their classmates in the district for the video. Several Kings Park staff members who assisted include district Assistant Superintendent Ralph Cartisano; Rudy Massimo, principal of R.J.O. Intermediate School; Ken Ferrazzi, assistant principal at William T. Rogers Middle School; and Danielle Thompson, technology integration specialist, helped the students create the video which was filmed on iPhones and iPads. Thompson then edited and pieced together the footage using iMovie.

“If we can get the students to share what they are experiencing, just encourage them to speak about it… maybe we can save a life or two.”
– Rudy Massimo

“We broke it into different groups and being that I am one of the participants of the Superintendents Council, I worked with middle school students on drug and alcohol abuse, including vaping,” Massimo said.

The entire video, from the script to where they filmed, was driven by the students. They filmed parts in areas of the building where students might go to do things against school policy, including the stairwells, bathrooms and basement. They used their smartphones to gather information and read off of them like a script. Throughout filming, the students had one goal to get their peers to listen, according to Massimo.

“Mr. Trotta was the first audience that the kids had to show off their video, Eagen said. “We have it posted to our website and we’ve also shared it with our elected officials, so they can best understand how our students are feeling.”

The principal of R.J. O Intermediate said he has plans to show pieces of the video in the fourth- and fifth-grade classrooms next year.

“What the kids say is that they are tired of the same kind of information coming to them,” said Massimo. “If they hear it from their peers, it means more.”

TBR News Media is your local news and entertainment website.
We provide you with the latest breaking news and information for your community.
Contact us: [email protected]

Most Viewed

©