PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Terry Troia, President of Project Hospitality, on Mental Health Crisis Response
4:20:46
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104 sec
Terry Troia, President of Project Hospitality in Staten Island, testified about the need for improved mental health crisis response in New York City. She shared a tragic story of a man who died during a mental health crisis intervention and advocated for the expansion of the B-HEARD program and the implementation of integrated crisis response teams led by mental health professionals and peers.
- Highlighted the importance of de-escalation techniques and trauma-informed care in crisis interventions
- Called for B-HEARD to be implemented citywide, including in Staten Island
- Emphasized the need for a public health response to mental health crises, with collaboration between mental health experts, peers, NYPD, FDNY, and EMS
Terry Troia
4:20:46
Hi.
4:20:46
My name is Terry Choi, and I work for Project Hospitality in Staten Island.
4:20:50
We serve street homeless and unstavily housed persons.
4:20:53
A majority of the people we serve have lived experience with behavioral health issues.
4:20:57
I'm here to share with you the story of a Staten Island man living with mental illness.
4:21:01
In need of immediate mental health services, a 911 EDP call was made.
4:21:06
The man was transported to Rumsey Hospital at which point upon exiting the ambulance, he decided to leave the site and not enter the hospital.
4:21:14
I am not clear on what transpired at that point, but here is how the interaction between the man and NYPD ended.
4:21:20
The man's head was pushed into the dirt so deeply with such force where his head was held until he was nonresponsive and ultimately declared dead.
4:21:29
The autopsy revealed soil in the man's throat.
4:21:32
He was suffocated to death.
4:21:34
911 was called because a man in crisis needed immediate mental health attention and he died before he could get help.
4:21:39
He was ill.
4:21:40
He needed healing.
4:21:41
He ended up dead.
4:21:42
We need mental health professionals and peers who are trained both in mental health crisis and deescalation to be the lead for mobile crisis teams, an integrated team of trained peer professional collaboration that includes NYPD, FDNY, and EMS.
4:21:58
B.
4:21:58
Heard needs to be everywhere in New York City, including Staten Island.
4:22:01
In New York City, it needs a public health response to a public health need, a peer mental health expert, joint led integrated mental health crisis response team.
4:22:10
And these teams must be fully funded and must work as an integrated effort to deescalate, offer positive person centered trauma informed crisis intervention services while providing for both the protection of human life and respect for human life with the ultimate goal of providing the person in need with lifesaving services.
4:22:28
Thank you.
4:22:29
Thank
