The New York Foundling welcomed staff and community stakeholders to the opening of its new state-of-the-art mental health clinic in East Harlem, officially called the Home of Integrated Behavioral Health, on January 14, 2019.
“Our clinic ushers in a new way to approach behavioral and mental health,” said Bill Baccaglini, CEO and President of The New York Foundling. “At The Foundling, we consider family and community context in our approach to care. Our approach also takes a different view than others. We believe treatment should be brief, intense, and should equip all members of the family with the skills and confidence they need to confront what challenges lie ahead.”
The clinic, previously located in Harlem on the west side, will serve as a hub for families in the surrounding community, as well as across New York City, to access high-quality, evidence-based social and emotional mental health support and treatment. Like all New York Foundling programs and services, the mental health clinic aims to give families research-backed tools that set them up for healthy independence and successful futures.
“We know firsthand that the research-backed treatment models we will be using at the Home of Integrated Behavioral Health give entire families the tools they need to work through their challenges and be healthy in the long-term,” said Dr. Sylvia Rowlands, Senior Vice President of Evidence-Based Programs, in a statement.
The clinic staff will be using several evidence-based models, including Brief Strategic Family Therapy, Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, while also launching the Communities that Care model.
The Foundling’s East Harlem location will also mean greater access for families in the community. Lack of accessibility can often be a barrier for low-income families to receiving effective mental health services.
“We at The Foundling are extremely privileged to be a part of the neighborhood filled with a strong sense of community ties and involvement,” Fanny Tristan, director of the clinic, explains. “Together, we can all use our voices to advocate for the needs everyone. A community that has created more community gardens than I can count on one hand. We are so excited to be here and look forward to providing great community mental health services.”
The 5,689-square-foot space, located at 109 E. 115th Street, aims to serve more than 200 families each year. Families with children up to 18 years old and their parents are welcome, and the clinic will accept referrals from school counselors, court services, foster care providers, community agencies, as well as walk-ins.
To learn more, visit www.nyfoundling.org or call 917-485-7280.
ABOUT THE NEW YORK FOUNDLING
At The New York Foundling, we believe that all people, no matter their circumstance or zip code, have the right to reach their full potential. But for all of us, discovering what we are capable of and reaching our full potential requires support along the way. The New York Foundling is built on that 150 year-old promise to our neighbors, in which infants and children, teens and college students, people with differing abilities and families can access the trusted support they need to thrive, independent of us.
From the bold beginnings of the Sisters of Charity in 1869, The New York Foundling has grown into a results-driven and research-backed organization, whose community support services have empowered hundreds of thousands of people to move beyond their most challenging times, and to achieve their goals. Our five core program areas touch on the key building blocks of a strong and healthy life: education, wellbeing, family, community, opportunity. Together, our interconnected programs provide a whole person, whole family and whole community approach that unlocks solutions for a lifetime.
