New Yorkers are tough, but daily stress builds over time and may become difficult for people to handle alone. Engaging in meaningful conversations is one way to address the many stressors of daily life, but finding helpful interlocutors is not always easy. Providing communities with friendly and knowledgeable people to talk to has been the aim of the NYC Health Department’s Community Support Network (CSN).
Launched in August 2023, the CSN has played a crucial role in supporting New Yorkers by removing the stigma around mental health. Community health workers (CHWs) from CSN partner organizations NHS Brooklyn, VIP Community Services, and BronxWorks have been a regular presence in neighborhoods greatly impacted by COVID-19 and various health disparities. The CHWs initiated guided, compassionate conversations with people to address a wide range of concerns, including psychosocial, emotional, substance use, physical health, housing, career, education, and food-access stressors. By being out in public and accessible to people in areas with high foot traffic, the CHWs were able to connect to individuals and refer them to resources before their needs became acute or chronic.
With the arrival of spring this year the CSN program took to one of New York’s great greenspaces, Prospect Park, for the pilot Open Air Care Connections program. As NYC Health Commissioner and FPHNYC Board Chair, Dr. Ashwin Vasan explained to Gothamist, “We know the front door to our mental health system can be hard to find and hard to access…New Yorkers are busy people, so we’re bringing the conversation to them.”
Grant and Timal, CHWs from Neighborhood Housing Services of Brooklyn, in Prospect Park. photo: Shola Thompson, DOHMH
The CSN was made possible with a grant FPHNYC secured from The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust. With this support, between August 2023 and June 2024, CHWs provided individuals with 6,981 referrals to health and social services (individuals on average received more than one service referral at a time).
Asked by CHWs what their chief concerns were, the most frequent response from individuals was “Safety in the Community,” with 46% of respondents indicating this as an issue. “Daily Needs of Food, Water, Housing,” was cited by 41% of individuals, underscoring the persistent issue of accessing essential resources. “Physical Health” is another significant concern, mentioned by 34% of respondents. “Coping with Emotions” and “Coping with Anger” were cited by 31 and 30 percent of people, respectively. Other notable concerns include “High Blood Pressure or Heart Disease” (26%), “Function in Daily Tasks” (23%), and issues related to “Safety at Home” (25%), “Substance Use” (21%), and “Racism” (21%).
The partner CBOS and CHWs involved with the CSN were recognized by the Health Department and the Prospect Park Alliance at a luncheon and awards ceremony in July. FPHNYC is actively seeking to engage additional funders to support this important work shown to foster healthier and more resilient communities around New York City.