By Celia Bernhardt and Olivia Graffeo | news@queensledger.com
Dozens packed the lobby of Woodhaven’s new behavioral health clinic on July 18, celebrating the new Catholic Charities Brooklyn and Queens-operated center with a ribbon cutting. Borough President Donovan Richards, State Senator Joe Addabbo, and State Assemblywoman Jennifer Rajkumar were among those who praised the new facility.
Named after longtime Catholic Charities Brooklyn and Queens collaborator Joseph Collins III, the Joseph F. Collins Catholic Charities Behavioral Health Center for Children and Families will serve as an open-access mental health care clinic for families and individuals ages five and older. Clients should be able to walk in and receive services that same day — programs include individual, group and family therapy, medication managements, a specialized medication-assisted treatment program for opioid addiction, and more. Clinicians, peer staff, social workers and psychiatric nurse practitioners will work on site; patients can also opt to use telehealth.
While Collins made his career in finance, his wife spent her life as a social worker in Queens, making the opening of this clinic close to their hearts.
“It’s right in the center of Queens. So imagine how many people they can take care of. It’s incredible,” Collins said. “ It really deals with the people that need it the most, too. And that’s what’s important as far as I’m concerned.”
Speaking to the crowd, Borough President Richards emphasized the importance of community mental health services in the wake of Covid-19’s impact.
“For years, many of our children were prevented from really having normalcy,” Richards said. “They couldn’t go to school. They eventually made it outside, back into the parks, but many of our children couldn’t walk across the graduation stage and even receive their diplomas. So the impact on our children’s mental health has been severe.”
Catholic Charities Brooklyn and Queens has a network of similar clinics in Jamaica, Rockaway, Corona and Flatbush. Holly Jaskiewicz, Director of Field Operations at Catholic Charities Brooklyn and Queens, said the need for services is high.
“I just spoke to a parent yesterday who was really complimentary of our services,” Jaskiewicz said. “She went somewhere elsehere, there was long wait, there was in a lot of paperwork — but when they walked in [here], we just saw them right away.”
Richards said that bringing mental health care resources to Southeast Queens in particular was an important endeavor.
“Your socioeconomic status, your zip code, your immigration status shouldn’t be a determinant on whether you have access to health care, and especially mental health services,” Richards said. “This is one of those communities that still needs a lot of assistance in filling those gaps, so having Catholic Charities land the plane here is huge for this community.”
Rajkumar expressed gratitude for Catholic Charities for their work in her district during the height of the pandemic.
“I’ll never forget calling Catholic Charities, and right away, Catholic Charities saying, ‘We are there for you. Let us know who is going hungry, and we will get them their food,’” Rajkumar said.
