#Not62 – The Campaign for A Healthy Bronx! Moves Forward with a Five-Year Plan Focusing on Mental Health

New York, NY (March 17, 2025) — The #Not62 Steering Committee, comprised of 11 Bronx health and community organizations, is moving forward with a new five-year plan providing a roadmap for recovery to help Bronx residents respond to the challenges, traumas, and health burdens they continue to face.

The #Not62 – The Campaign for A Healthy Bronx!, for the next five years, will use a community-centered approach to engage with local organizations, residents, healthcare providers, and government agencies to ensure that mental health solutions are informed by community needs and are collaborative in nature.

RECOMMENDED INITIATIVES AND PROPOSED POLICIES:

RECOMMENDED INITIATIVE #1
Ensure that all Bronx residents have access to a range of mental health services, including crisis intervention, counseling, therapy, and psychiatric support.

RECOMMENDED INITIATIVE #2
Launch an anti-stigma campaign to normalize conversations about mental health and encourage residents to seek help when needed.

RECOMMENDED INITIATIVE #3
Develop partnerships with social service providers, schools, and local businesses where mental health services are provided alongside other essential services, such as housing, employment support, and substance use treatment.

RECOMMENDED INITIATIVE AND PROPOSED POLICY #4
Offer Mental Health First Aid to build emotional resilience, manage stress, and cope with life challenges and mobilize Stop the Bleed and Narcan (naloxone) be made available in communal spaces.

PROPOSED POLICY #5
Provide funding opportunities for mental health providers and clinics for contingency management therapy (CMT). CMT provides rewards to clients for positive behavior changes while in treatment.

PROPOSED POLICY #6
Provide funding for training and scholarships to increase the number of mental health care providers in the healthcare industry and enrolling in higher education health-related fields.

PROPOSED POLICY #7
Expand and invest in the New York City Behavioral Health Emergency Assistance Response Division (B-HEARD) to ensure that mental health crises are treated as health conditions and not public safety problems.

In response to the Bronx’s consistently low health ranking, several groups came together in 2014 and launched #Not62 – The Campaign for a Healthy Bronx! Through collaboration between Bronx residents, businesses, health care providers, community organizations, and elected officials, the #Not62 Campaign was formed to change the conversation about health in the Bronx and to serve as a key catalyst for partners across sectors to take action in improving the health of Bronx residents.

The #Not62 – The Campaign for a Healthy Bronx! is led by a steering committee composed of the Bronx Borough President’s Office, The Institute for Family Health/Bronx Health REACH, Montefiore Health System, Essen Health Care, Lincoln Hospital, St Barnabas Hospital, CUNY (Lehman & Hostos), Bronx Faith Based Organizations and Community Based Organizations and the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene’s Bronx Neighborhood Health Action Center.

The #Not62 Steering Committee continues to connect people, resources, and systems. Integrating and enhancing the strengths and expertise of neighborhoods with partners across socio-economic sectors and those in the public sector will be key to accomplishing the goal of lifting the Bronx from its last placed perch.

“As we face an escalating mental health crisis in our community, it is critical that we take bold action to address these challenges in a way that prioritizes the well-being of residents and promotes long-term, sustainable solutions,” said Bronx Borough President Vanessa L. Gibson. “The #Not62 Campaign highlights the urgent need for mental health care that is accessible, community-based, and tailored to the needs of our neighborhoods. For too long, residents of the Bronx have been disproportionately affected by the lack of adequate mental health services and resources. We are committed to working alongside local advocates, organizations, and leaders to ensure that our policies reflect the needs of those most affected by the mental health crisis. Our support for the #Not62 Campaign is a stand for justice, for compassion, and for a Bronx where everyone has access to the care and resources they deserve.”

“We have a mental health crisis in the Bronx and both state and local officials need to intensify their efforts to confront it,” remarked Charmaine Ruddock, Project Director for Bronx Health REACH. “As a founding member of the #Not62 Steering Committee, Bronx Health REACH of the Institute for Family Health recognizes that this effort of the committee to put emphasis on the mental health of Bronx residents is a welcome one to an urgent situation. As a community coalition, Bronx Health REACH has been working since the COVID pandemic to help address the mental health crisis particularly of men through our ‘Men, Let’s Talk’ initiative. It is, a men’s only forum where Black and Latino men in the Bronx get together to collectively discuss issues they may have about their mental wellbeing, in addition to their sexual and physical health. This community driven effort has successfully connected participants in crisis to the help they need.”

“We want Bronxites to address their mental health needs as they would any other health need,” said Fabián Wander, Director of Health and Wellness, Development and Enrollment Management, Hostos Community College. “We believe that the seven recommended initiatives and policies will reduce the stigma of Bronx residents in engaging with much needed support. From reducing stigma through campaigns, to engaging community members in mental health certificate trainings, to teaching Bronx students practical skills through educational programming, we believe the Bronx will become more emotionally resilient and a healthier community.”

“The mental health of our Bronx community is paramount to advancing the overall health and wellbeing of our borough,” said Allison Stark, MD, MBA, VP and Chief Medical Officer, Care Management Organization and Office of Community & Population Health, Montefiore Medical Center. “We fully support the recommended policies of the #Not62 Steering Committee and are proud to be a part of the solution as we look to both expand services and meet the growing demands of people experiencing psychosocial distress.”

“Too many Bronx residents struggle in silence due to the stigma surrounding mental health,” said Imelda Tavas, Chief Administrative Officer at Essen Health Care. “Seeking help should be as normal as visiting a doctor for any other health concern. At Essen Health Care, we are committed to breaking these barriers by expanding access to counseling, crisis intervention, and integrated care. As part of the #Not62 Steering Committee, I am proud to work alongside community partners to address these challenges—not just at the individual level, but through policies that ensure long-term, systemic change. Together, we can build a healthier, more resilient Bronx.”

“On behalf of Lehman College’s CUNY Institute for Health Equity (CIHE), we are proud to play a role in identifying the utilization of community health in the Bronx for mental health and substance use,” said Dr. Maria-Isabel Roldós, DrPH, MS, MPA, Director at Lehman College’s CUNY Institute for Health Equity. “Mental health and addiction are health priority needs for residents in the Bronx. To this end, CIHE is working with BronxCare with funding from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Office of Minority Health. This initiative seeks to address the significant mental health disparities in the Bronx by collaborating with BronxCare Health System. We are pairing best practices in social work research methodology with health services expertise to uncover the root causes of barriers to health services and create actionable solutions.”

“Sound minds lead to better outcomes for all of us – individually and collectively,” said Stephen Ritz, Founder of Green Bronx Machine. “Therefore, a dedicated commitment to the mental health of Bronxites is a dedicated commitment to the collective health of New York City, New York State, and our nation. At Green Bronx Machine, we know that healthy minds are at the heart of educated, healthy, and informed behaviors, choices, and decisions. We understand that physical health and financial health directly impact mental health. Creating conditions that move folks from barely surviving to inclusively thriving is a basic human right and civic responsibility that applies to all. We all know you can’t go from seed to harvest without care and cultivation in the process. Mental health access is part of the care and cultivation that lead to better decisions. We applaud policy recommendations that care for the way local people can care and obtain care for themselves, their families, and those who need it most, and those most removed from it. Let’s embrace this moment for the potential and opportunity it presents. A better Bronx and a healthier Bronx, begins with policies that foster healthier minds and decisions; let us all commit accordingly.”