Dr. Ruth Gerson, MD, The Foundling’s Senior Vice President for Mental Health Services, recently appeared on Pix 11 News to provide back to school tips for parents concerned about the upcoming school year – and addresses fears about COVID-19, mental health, and more.
Watch the full video below:
The 74 Million recently reported on the difficulties young people have found accessing mental health care during the pandemic – as they note, 58% of young New Yorkers didn’t get the help they needed during these difficult times, and resources can be hard to access. The article showcases The Foundling’s School-Based Mental Health program as a model for connecting young people with the mental health professionals they need, and discusses the benefits of its wide-reaching and holistic approach to mental health.
“We don’t only focus on the students. We believe that in order for mental health services to be sustainable and effective in school, we have to address the entire school as our client, as a community that we’re working with,” said Reïna Batrony, vice president of The Foundling’s services for community- and school-based programs.
As Patch reports, The New York Foundling launched its new Day Habilitation and Employment Services site for people with developmental disabilities with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Aug. 26.
“We are thrilled to bring our Day Habilitation Without Walls and Employment Services to the community in Nanuet,” said Bill Baccaglini, President of The New York Foundling. “We know that only around 1 in 3 working-age individuals with developmental disabilities are actively employed, and roughly 25 percent of adults with developmental disabilities report that they don’t have anyone in their life to talk to about their goals and purpose. Our programs aim to change these numbers in every community, including Nanuet.”
As Bronx News12 reports, The Foundling held a ribbon cutting for our newest Day Habilitation center in Nanuet, NY. The new center will serve our participants with developmental disabilities across Rockland County.
“Ten years ago, we started residential services here and our folks weren’t able to find day habilitation programs in the community based on their challenging needs. So, we created a day habilitation without walls,” says Jill Gentile, Senior Vice President of our Developmental Disabilities Division.
In an op-ed for MedPage Today, The Foundling’s Joseph R. Saccoccio, MD, Chief Medical Officer, and Ruth Gerson, MD, Senior Vice President for Mental Health Services, share how summer camp is extremely beneficial to children and teenagers – and after strict COVID-19 restrictions, the structure, social interactions, and new experiences of camp are more important for young people than ever.
The New York Botanical Garden is a long-time partner with The Foundling, providing inclusive opportunities to participants in our Employment Services program. As volunteers in the garden’s Edible Academy, Foundling participants learn best principles for organic gardening, general maintenance, propagation, and more – learning useful job skills to aid in their long-term career journey.
In celebration of Disability Pride Month, two Foundling participants – Sophia M. and Adeola O. – shared their reflections on their volunteer experience with New York Botanical Garden’s staff. “My experience was one of the best things I have done,” says Adeola.
MST Services’ latest blog post shares the evolution of their therapy and treatment model for young people and families in New York City, and highlights The New York Foundling’s role in implementing the new MST-Prevention model across four boroughs over the past year.
“I am so thankful to be able to collaborate with the therapists on my team and use the MST model in my caseworker role,” shared Laura Valencia, a Family Resources caseworker at The Foundling.
News 12 recently highlighted Foundling foster parents Jason Knight and Liron Prioleau. When looking to start a family, the couple were drawn to becoming foster parents. “It hit home because there are so many. We learned there are so many kids in foster care that just needed a safe space to be,” Prioleau recalls.
They initially “chose to work with The New York Foundling based on…their openness to LGBTQIA parents and their work with LGBTQIA youth,” said Knight. Their family now includes their two sons, who were adopted through The Foundling, and their biological sister, who they are currently fostering.
Watch the video report and read more on News 12.
Malyk Leonard – one of our Road to Success tutors – spoke at a Fair Futures rally at City Hall on May 19, discussing the need to baseline funds for this important program.
“I help students go to college. I help students find jobs when no one else is willing to help them. I help students advocate for themselves. This is the reason why we need Fair Futures,” he says.
Watch the full video of his speech below:
On OPEN, BronxNet’s regular talk show, Dr. Ruth Gerson and Dr. Jessica Pesantez from our Mental Health Services and Child Welfare teams sat down with host Daren Jaime to discuss child abuse, creating a safe environment for children, keeping young people engaged, and building trust.
Watch the full interview below:
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