NYC Health + Hospitals today announced it received $5 million to support its behavioral health workforce with a gift from Black Family Philanthropies, one of the largest donations ever received by the health system.
$4 million of those funds will directly support student debt relief for behavioral health staff in exchange for a three-year commitment to NYC Health + Hospitals as part of its Behavioral Health Loan Repayment Program (BH4NYC). The additional $1 million in funding will be used for staff retention through career advancement and workplace safety initiatives, representing critical capacity-building strategies to complement recruitment efforts. The program is designed to help attract and retain clinicians who care for New Yorkers with mental health or substance use treatment needs as the U.S. faces a national shortage of mental health professionals. The loan repayment program was launched by an inaugural $1 million donation from Three Cairns Group in 2022 and was first announced by Mayor Adams. Additional donors include The Louis and Rachel Rudin Foundation, Inc. Some of the previous recipients shared their thoughts about receiving student debt relief in a video available here. New Yorkers can support this effort by donating to NYC Health + Hospitals.
“Black Family Philanthropies is proud to work with NYC Health + Hospitals to support the professionals whose compassion and care is critical to addressing the behavioral health crisis in our city,” said Black Family Philanthropies Executive Director Kelvin Chan, PHD, MTS, MPH. “This donation demonstrates the Black Family’s belief that financial support for those providing behavioral health treatment and care is essential. They hope freeing these individuals from the burden of student loans will empower them to continue their commitment to caring for our community members and serving our city. It is our hope that this donation will encourage others to act and join us to support NYC Health + Hospitals and its critical mission of caring for the people of New York.”
“This investment in our behavioral health services and staff will support not only with the over 120 who will receive student debt relief but also the thousands of patients they care for,” said NYC Health + Hospitals President and CEO Mitchell Katz, MD. “NYC Health + Hospitals is enormously grateful to Black Family Philanthropies for this landmark donation.”
“NYC Health + Hospitals is excited to expand this critical program for another two years and to more behavioral health disciplines,” said NYC Health + Hospitals Co-Deputy Chief Medical Officer and System Chief of Behavioral Health Omar Fattal, MD, MPH. “This program gives us a unique opportunity to recruit and retain critical staff members to ensure we are delivering the highest quality care to New Yorkers. We are grateful to Black Family Philanthropies for their generosity and commitment to our services, our city, and New Yorkers experiencing mental illness.”
Over the next two years, more than 120 behavioral health providers at NYC Health + Hospitals will receive up to $75,000 in student debt relief, depending on their discipline. For the first time, nurses who work in behavioral health settings, licensed creative arts therapists, and correctional health services staff are eligible for funds. Other eligible disciplines are psychiatrists, psychiatric physician assistants, psychiatric nurse practitioners, licensed clinical psychologists, and licensed clinical social workers. On average, early career psychiatrists have $190,000 of student debt, psychologists have $80,000 of student debt, social workers have $68,000 of student debt, and psychiatric nurse practitioners have $56,000 of student debt. In 2023, the first wave of the Behavioral Health Loan Repayment Program provided $1 million in debt relief to 28 providers, a mix of new and existing employees who serve 25,000 patients annually.
The remaining $1 million will support staff retention through career advancement and workplace safety initiatives, representing critical capacity-building strategies to complement recruitment efforts. This includes Early-Career Fellowships for Psychiatric Nurse Practitioners, a new initiative launched in partnership with the Community Health Network; new online trainings about the prevention and management of violent behaviors using medication, brief therapeutic interventions, and behavior management plans, developed in partnership with the Center for Practice Innovations at the New York State Psychiatric Institute; and several, multi-channel recruitment campaigns focused on the high-demand disciplines.
“Today marks a transformative step forward in our mission to enhance behavioral health care across New York City,” said NYC Health + Hospitals Chief External Affairs Officer Deborah Brown, JD, MSW. “With profound gratitude to Black Family Philanthropies, this $5 million gift empowers us to not only relieve student debt burdens but also to invest in the professional growth and safety of our dedicated behavioral health workforce. Donors such as these allow us to build a stronger foundation to serve our communities and meet the urgent mental health needs of our city. They are setting an example of leadership for all New Yorkers, and we are thankful for their support of our mission.”
“Loan repayment is a great way to incentivize behavioral health professionals for their commitment to serve our health system,” said NYC Health + Hospitals/Harlem Chief Executive Officer Georges H. Leconte, MPA, FAB. “With mounting costs of student loans, this is a sure way to commission the best and brightest to really focus their efforts on relieving the behavioral health crisis in our city by caring for our patients. Thank you to Black Family Philanthropies for their generous donation to a very important cause and for understanding the vital role NYC Health + Hospitals plays being the largest providers of mental health and substance use services in New York City.”
“Being selected for Behavioral Health Loan Repayment Program changed my life,” said Marie Louisca, RN, a nurse in the psychiatric emergency department at NYC Health + Hospitals/Harlem and a recipient of student debt relief through the BH4NYC program. “I’m a mom to two kids: a five-year-old and a one-year-old. Everything is getting very expensive. Now that I’ve received the award, I don’t have to put aside money anymore to pay for my student loan. We’re talking about getting a house. It means a lot to me. Hopefully, one day I will be the one donating to help someone else.”
NYC Health + Hospitals recognizes the burden that student debt places on its workforce and is committed to implementing programs that offer relief. Offering student loan debt relief in exchange for a three-year service commitment is one way that NYC Health + Hospitals can close the gap between the number of behavioral health clinicians and the number of New Yorkers in need of behavioral health care.
As part of the largest municipal health care system in the nation, NYC Health + Hospitals provides about 60% of all behavioral health services for children and adults in New York City. NYC Health + Hospitals’ public hospitals and neighborhood health centers offer a wide variety of excellent mental health services to foster recovery from mental illness of all kinds. Additionally, NYC Health + Hospitals provides the highest quality alcohol and substance use recovery programs as part of its behavioral and mental health services, with personalized, caring treatment plans that are effective for each patient.
New Yorkers who need support for mental health or substance use can call 844-NYC-4NYC for an appointment at NYC Health + Hospitals or contact Virtual ExpressCare, NYC Health + Hospitals’ 24/7 telehealth service, at expresscare.nyc or calling 631-EXP-Care (631-397-2273).
If you would like to donate to NYC Health + Hospitals, please visit this link on our website.
NYC Health + Hospitals
NYC Health + Hospitals is the largest municipal health care system in the nation serving more than a million New Yorkers annually in more than 70 patient care locations across the city’s five boroughs. A robust network of outpatient, neighborhood-based primary and specialty care centers anchors care coordination with the system’s trauma centers, nursing homes, post-acute care centers, home care agency, and MetroPlus health plan—all supported by 11 essential hospitals. Its diverse workforce of more than 43,000 employees is uniquely focused on empowering New Yorkers, without exception, to live the healthiest life possible. For more information, visit www.nychealthandhospitals.org
Photo credit: Recipients of the BH4NYC program and leadership from NYC Health + Hospitals.
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