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Council Member Mercedes Narcisse's opening remarks on B-HEARD program and mental health crisis response
0:07:23
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4 min
Council Member Mercedes Narcisse provides opening remarks on the B-HEARD program and New York City's approach to addressing mental health crises. She highlights the program's importance, its current state, and the need for expansion and improvement.
- Narcisse emphasizes the critical role of B-HEARD in providing holistic, health-centered care to individuals experiencing mental health emergencies.
- She notes that while B-HEARD has been effective, it is currently understaffed and under-resourced, operating in only 31 out of 77 police precincts.
- Narcisse calls for the expansion of B-HEARD to all districts, citing its potential to improve public safety and provide appropriate care for individuals in crisis.
Mercedes Narcisse
0:07:23
Good morning, everyone, and I wanna say thank you to chair Ayola, chair Salam, and my name is Mercedes Nurses, and I'm chair for committee on hospital.
0:07:37
And thank you, chair Lee, and the committee on mental health and disabilities and addiction for are spearheading the effort to organize this hearing to discuss the B heard program, and our city's approach to addressing mental health crisis.
0:07:52
As Shirley stated, it has been a difficult task to put this hearing together to listen to be heard because you play really a key role right now more than ever in our community in New York City.
0:08:10
Of course, the city, Bahir, has been implemented as a pilot program in high needs areas to provide holistic health centered care to individuals experiencing mental health emergencies.
0:08:24
Bahir teams a trend in providing crucial emergency responses that can include mental care, mental health treatment, de escalation tactics, and linkage to appropriate care.
0:08:41
I heard that.
0:08:42
New York City Health And Hospitals employs social workers who work alongside EMT and EMS staff as be her team responders to deliver the excellent mental health expertise that individuals in crisis need and deserve.
0:09:01
Since its launch in 2021, B.
0:09:04
Heard has played a critical role in improving the safety and health of New Yorkers that is has I mean, that the serve.
0:09:14
But the program has plenty of room to grow both in capacity and agency coordination.
0:09:22
As of August 2024, New York City Health And Hospital Corporation had 42 social worker positions dedicated to be heard program, which is currently active in 31 of the city's 77 police precincts.
0:09:41
In March of 2023, the mayor pledged that be her teams would become available in all police precincts across the city.
0:09:52
Yet, that plan has told due to administrative budget constraints and hiring challenges.
0:09:59
We know that this type of response system is effective in caring for individuals going through a mental crisis.
0:10:09
Yet remains awful or, unfortunately, understaffed and under resource.
0:10:17
Many of our council member colleagues have requested that be heard be expended to the to be active in the district, which would allow individuals in crisis to receive appropriate care and thereby improve public safety.
0:10:34
I hope that by discussing the merits and the challenges expanding this program, the attention to the necessity of expanding this program, sorry, our holistic health care's I mean, health centered approach to individuals experiencing mental or behavioral crisis.
0:10:54
And the only way is the only way forward.
0:10:57
And I'm hopeful that we can provide New Yorkers with the care that they need and deserve, and they can be successful.
0:11:07
As a registered nurse for over 3 decades, I have come close to all this mental health crisis when somebody in their mental crisis they need someone that understand why they're going through someone that experience and not only experience, sometimes you need life experience to be able to help someone in crisis.
0:11:31
So I wanna say thank you for all the team that here, and I'm looking forward to hear from you.
0:11:37
Now I will turn it over to council member, Salam, for his opening remarks.