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Three Organizations Coordinate Efforts to Promote 9/11-Related Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services
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New York, NY, July 16, 2003— The American Red Cross, The September 11th Fund and The Mental Health Association of New York City are announcing a collaborative outreach effort to encourage people affected by the 9/11 attacks to take advantage of financial assistance for confidential mental health and substance abuse assistance. Nearly 5,000 people are currently enrolled in the coordinated 9/11 Mental Health and Substance Abuse Program, which was announced by the agencies last year. The unprecedented program helps people who may be experiencing problems such as anxiety, depression, headaches, trouble sleeping or drug and/or alcohol abuse as a result of the attacks. The agencies hope to assist a projected 15,000 over the next three to five years. The program is accessed through the nationwide 1-800-LIFENET hotline of the Mental Health Association of New York City.
“We are gratified that thousands are already receiving mental health and substance abuse assistance though this program. Yet, based on our experience, we know that thousands more need these services but have not come forward,” said Alan Goodman, Administrator of the American Red Cross September 11 Recovery Program. “Through this campaign we hope to encourage all those who were affected by September 11 to take advantage of the program that was created with them in mind.”
“Never before has there been such a comprehensive and extensive partnership among charities to meet mental health needs,” said Giselle Stolper, Executive Director of The Mental Health Association of New York City. “The collaboration enables us to provide assistance to a wider spectrum of people, significantly expanding our reach to those impacted by the September 11th attacks.”
Outreach activities for this collaborative effort include:
- Red Cross youth volunteers distribute posters to lower Manhattan businesses, schools, residences and commuter access points on Saturday, July 19 and for four consecutive Saturdays
- Mail 150,000 brochures to individuals directly affected by the events of September 11th
- Businesses and unions distribute brochures to their work force and display posters
- Distribute 8,000 brochures to lower Manhattan schools for students to take home with final report cards
- Circulate more than 50,000 electronic brochures to practitioners, agencies and mental health providers
- Human service agencies throughout the city such as the Hispanic Federation and Asian American Federation, educate their clients about the diverse mental health assistance available
- Staff of all three charities continue delivering informational presentations and training sessions to service providers, mental health agencies, schools and businesses
Download Brochure
All materials are available in English, Spanish and Chinese and are being disseminated throughout the tri-state area and nationwide. For more information or to order brochures, call 1-800-LIFENET or visit www.sept11help.org.
The Mental Health and Substance Abuse Program
The American Red Cross and The September 11th Fund established the joint 9/11 Mental Health and Substance Abuse Program in 2002 to ensure that those in need of treatment as a result of the attacks had access to local practitioners of their choice regardless of their financial situation. The program provides financial assistance with treatment costs dating back to the time of the attacks and is available regardless of where a person now lives.
People eligible for financial assistance with mental health and substance abuse counseling expenses include family members or roommates of the deceased; people injured at an attack site; employees who worked in the World Trade Center area or the Pentagon; employees who worked below Canal Street and lost employment or wages; residents below Canal Street in Lower Manhattan; officially deployed rescue or recovery workers at any of the attack sites; children who went to school near the World Trade Center and employees who worked at Ronald Reagan National Airport. In most instances, assistance with the cost of treatment is available to the affected individual and his or her immediate family members.
“We learned from the 1995 bombing in Oklahoma City that more people sought counseling the second and third years after the attacks. Our hotline is showing similar levels of ongoing distress as we approach the second anniversary of 9/11/01,” noted John Draper, Director of Public Education and the LifeNet Multicultural Hotline Network of the Mental Health Association of New York City. “It can take months and even years for some people to recognize that they need help coping with the tragedy.”
The American Red Cross September 11 Recovery Program (SRP) provides assistance, support and guidance to those most directly affected by the attacks. Trained Family Support Specialists help individuals and families access benefits and services. Services include mental health and health care, subsidies to cover health insurance costs, support groups and financial assistance. SRP is developing a grant program to provide community-based organizations throughout the United States with funding to enhance long-term local services for people affected by 9/11, including people in need of mental health services. Red Cross continues to assist affected downtown residents who suffered the damage or loss of their homes. Those families and individuals with unmet needs will continue to receive Red Cross support as they transition back to self-sufficiency for the duration of the recovery program. For information on services provided by SRP call (877) 746-4987 [TDD (800) 662-1220] or visit www.redcross.org/september11/help.
The September 11th Fund was established the day of the terrorist attacks by The New York Community Trust and United Way of New York City to meet the immediate and long-term needs of affected victims, families and communities. The Fund works by making grants to nonprofit organizations and agencies with the expertise to meet a wide range of needs quickly. A second fund was created September 21, 2001 from proceeds of the national telethon, America: A Tribute to Heroes. The Fund is chaired by Franklin Thomas, and governed by a board drawn from United Way, the Trust, and the civic and business community. Chief Executive Officer Carol Kellermann manages the Fund’s grant program, and a central staff, drawing on the resources of the founding organizations. 100 percent of donations are used for grants; administrative costs are raised or donated separately. Find more information at < a href="http://www.september11fund.org">www.september11fund.org.
The Mental Health Association of New York City is a private, not-for-profit, voluntary organization concerned with all aspects of mental illness and mental health. The organization works to change attitudes about mental illnesses and heighten awareness of mental health issues through public education, to improve services for children and adults with psychiatric disabilities via advocacy and to promote mental health in the community through its direct service programs. The Mental Health Association of New York City sponsors 1-800-LIFENET, the New York area’s multicultural crisis intervention and referral hotline.
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