Q&A
Council Member Brewer shares personal experience with mental health crisis response
2:35:01
·
67 sec
Council Member Gale Brewer recounts a recent experience where a young man in crisis came to her district office seeking help. She highlights the challenges in connecting individuals to immediate mental health services and her reliance on personal connections to secure help.
- Brewer emphasizes the urgency of the mental health crisis in New York City
- She describes using her personal network to secure same-day care for the individual
- The anecdote raises questions about the accessibility and effectiveness of existing crisis response systems
Gale Brewer
2:35:01
Thank you very much.
2:35:02
I mean, I I know how much work you're putting into this topic, and I can tell you it is the number one issue in New York City now.
2:35:09
And so this hearing is incredibly important.
2:35:12
I just wanna tell you one quick story was the other day I was in the district office.
2:35:16
Young man came by.
2:35:17
He actually said to us, I am in bad shape.
2:35:20
I could kill somebody.
2:35:22
I need help.
2:35:22
I went to GMHC.
2:35:24
I went to Bellevue.
2:35:25
I got no help.
2:35:26
Now me, I should know about 980.
2:35:28
I didn't think about it.
2:35:29
I happened to have been one of the people who was there when Ryan Health Center started.
2:35:34
And I called Ryan because I got everybody's cell number.
2:35:37
And the next day, he got service.
2:35:39
He met them at Ryan in the morning.
2:35:42
He took care of him, and he has care.
2:35:44
That's how I know how to do stuff.
2:35:45
But I worry if I don't have somebody's cell number, what am I gonna do?
2:35:48
What would have 988 done if this young man had not had me?
2:35:54
Who has everybody's cell number in the city of New York?
Jamie Neckles
2:36:00
Can we give 988 your cell phone number?
Gale Brewer
2:36:02
Yes.
2:36:04
And you know what?
2:36:05
I could handle it.
2:36:06
I could handle anything.
2:36:07
I'll be honest with you.
2:36:08
Yep.
2:36:08
But what would have gotten from 988?
