The Child Mind Institute Launches Free Parenting Helpline for All NYC Health + Hospitals Employees

Program Connects Public Hospital Employees With Child Mind Institute Clinicians to Help Parents Worried About Their Children’s Mental Health During the COVID-19 Pandemic

NEW YORK, NY – The Child Mind Institute, in partnership with NYC Health + Hospitals, is launching a free parent helpline for all employees at New York City’s public hospitals on May 11^th. The helpline, staffed by the Child Mind Institute’s expert clinicians, will provide these New Yorkers who are giving so much to keep us safe and healthy with advice and support if they have concerns about their children’s mental health during this crisis.

The 20- to 30-minute phone consultations will be available in both English and Spanish and will also include referrals to outside mental health resources and services, as needed.  Those interested in the helpline should visit: https://childmind.org/nychealth/

The Child Mind Institute has a variety of free COVID-19-related resources and tools for all families, including daily tips and daily Facebook Live chats with clinicians. In addition, the Child Mind Institute’s clinicians are offering a range of fee-based telehealth services, including individual and group sessions for kids and parents, as well as one-on-one support for remote learning and comprehensive neuropsychological evaluations.

The Child Mind Institute/NYC Health + Hospitals helpline program is made possible by a generous gift from Alicia and Philip Hammarskjold.

“Our health care workers, whether they are on the front lines of this crisis or helping to make that work possible, are also contending with significant challenges at home,” said Harold S. Koplewicz, MD, founding president and medical director of the Child Mind Institute. “By helping them to navigate family-related concerns, we hope to alleviate some of their burden and improve their own well-being.”

“New York City is going through a time in which all of us are experiencing emotional challenges, and often material ones as well. As NYC Health + Hospitals continues to provide high-quality care to all New Yorkers during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Child Mind Institute is supporting our heroic healthcare workers and their loved ones through a variety of resources during this trying time,” said NYC Health + Hospitals President and CEO Mitchell Katz, MD. “This free parenting helpline for our employees demonstrates their commitment at the Child Mind Institute to keeping children safe and supporting families in these unprecedented circumstances.”​

The Child Mind Institute is also seeking support to expand this free service to other first responders, including EMTs, police, and firefighters, as well as public school teachers, throughout the city.

About the Child Mind Institute
The Child Mind Institute is an independent, national nonprofit dedicated to transforming the lives of children and families struggling with mental health and learning disorders. Our teams work every day to deliver the highest standards of care, advance the science of the developing brain, and empower parents, professionals and policymakers to support children when and where they need it most. Together with our supporters, we’re helping children reach their full potential in school and in life. We share all of our resources freely and do not accept any funding from the pharmaceutical industry. Learn more at childmind.org.