Listen to “Trisomy 18, Edwards Syndrome Takes the Life or Baby Marita – Her Mom creates Marita Brings Life Foundation thin 2 ours with a max. Life…” on Spreaker.

Marita at 2 days old. We were told she was going to die within 2 ours with a max. Life expectancy of 2 days This was her at 2 days old, alive and kicking.

Where Do We Grieve?
when it is our safe place
that died.
How do we tell lungs
to breathe through the pain
when they’re mourning
the air itself. –
Bereaved mum, anonymous
Abstract
This research aims at examining parents’ healthcare experiences for children with Trisomy 13
and 18 across three countries in the EU and the US, with emphasis on cultural, social and
medical perspectives on their interaction with healthcare professionals. The study using
semi-structured interviews explores how parents and children are wronged systematically;
ways in which there can be a clear lack of communication, ethical dilemmas, and ways in
which children with Trisomy 13 and 18 are stereotyped regarding the treatment that they are
given. Going further into the principal outcomes, it is worth to note that the parents are
essential in demanding their childrens’ care, as they actively dispute the medical
professionals and fight for their children’s rights, if the latter face withdrawal of care, or even
active unconsented palliative care. Additionally, the research addresses how parents attempt
to strategize against these situations by forming parent support groups, both formally and
informally, that allow better access to better healthcare facilities. Moreover, there are the
further findings of the research – the research shows that there exist serious violations of
ethical principles such as the principle of informed consent, the criterion of proportionality
and human rights violations with regards to equal access of medical care for the disabled. The
research shows that there is a need to design and implement better and sensitive health care
practices that respect the views of families with T13/18. For example, it advocates for
increased understanding of profession and parent communication, increased support of family
members and more attention paid to discrimination against children with T13/18 in
healthcare. These findings advance the knowledge in the field of Medical Anthropology,
Disability Studies, and Genetic Counseling that can be useful in the future health care
practices and policies for the families of the children with genetic disorders.
Acknowledgements
This dissertation is dedicated to my daughter, Marita, who was born on July 31, 2018, and sadly passed away
on September 1, 2018. I may never know if she would have survived had she received the care typically afforded
to a child unaffected by a chromosomal anomaly. My daughter was denied even the most basic care, such as
water and food. I extend my deepest gratitude to those parents who have entrusted me with their stories and to
the children who have shared their profound joy and love for life with me. In particular, this dissertation is
especially dedicated to Febe, who tragically passed away, most likely unnecessarily, while I was in the process
of writing this dissertation. I also wish to thank everyone who supported me in various ways. Special thanks go
to Professor Jonathan Gross at DePaul University, Chicago, who never stopped believing in my work.
Preface
It’s January 25, 2018. I’m about to walk the dog, feeling good, when the phone rings and my obstetrician speaks
in an aggressive tone: “You haven’t looked up your NIPT (Non-Invasive Prenatal Testing) results!” I calmly
respond, “Yes, indeed,…” I try to explain that I decided not to look them up. Upon returning home, I felt I had
been somewhat pressured into this. She had said, “It’s good to test because you and your husband (“Who says I
am married?”, I remember thinking.), will be able to provide better care for your child in case it has a genetic
disorder like Down syndrome. You’re 38 years old, don’t you think it’s a good idea?” I had answered, “If this
test is meant to help me get better care for my baby… if I can use it to inform myself, and if it’s not going to be
used against me or my child or my family…I would like to do it.” Thus we proceeded.
“But will my child get better care?” I later wondered. “Why should I do a genetic test if any child is more than
welcome? Wasn’t I causing myself a lot of worries and difficulties by knowing, instead of enjoying the bliss of
not knowing? What would this knowledge and the accompanying stress do to my child?” The obstetrician told
me she wouldn’t look up the results, and I had trusted her. “It’s your own responsibility; I won’t do it for you,”
she said in a snarky tone, while handing me a post-it with a login and password. Today she calls me, seemingly
enraged, and I don’t get a chance to stop her. She interrupts me and continues shouting statistical facts through
the phone.
“Your child has a 43% chance of Edwards syndrome. It’s similar to Down syndrome but much worse. It comes
with curved legs and arms, rock-bottom feet,… It will never be able to walk or speak. It’s the worst possible
disability there is. When are you coming in?”
I sit down on the puppy’s crate. He keeps pulling at his leash, eager to go out, and doesn’t pay attention to my
phone conversation. Nature calls. I breathe deeply, trying to buy some time, and respond, “Why should I exactly
come in?” I notice a hint of irony in my voice—a tone I would later recognise in other parents’ voices, much
later, after my daughter had passed away and I finally connected with them.
The obstetrician sighs and exclaims, “YOU SHOULD COME IN FOR YOUR APPOINTMENT. THERE IS
NO TIME TO LOSE,” then continues, “You were already late,” this time in an accusatory tone. (“Being
pregnant is not being sick,” I remember thinking to myself. I was barely two months pregnant when I had
contacted her.) “Which appointment?” I ask. (“A 43% chance of Edwards syndrome?” What on earth does that
mean? “Is the baby going to be half disabled?”, I remember thinking while drifting away into cynicism.
Thoughts are racing through my head at this point.) Before I have a chance to ask for further clarifications, she
rambles on:
“…IN BELGIUM WE ABORT SUCH CHILDREN. YOU SHOULD COME IN FOR YOUR
APPOINTMENT!!”
I now understand what “your appointment” means when she explains her cultural understanding of the matter.
This was also my first encounter with a typical discursive practice around NIPT, abortion, and having a child
with a trisomy disorder. “Coming in for your appointment” clearly meant “in Belgium we abort such children”,
the “appointment” was the “abortion appointment,” and “aborting such children”, apparently a normal procedure
here.
Calmly and politely, I clarify my position: “Whether to abort my child or not is still a decision to be made by me
and me alone, in whichever country I live.” I am not necessarily pro-life, nor am I pro-abortion. However, I am a
feminist, and nobody decides over my body and the little foetus growing inside me but me.
My experience also has a personal component. Following the standard DSM definition, I could be seen as
disabled (cf. I am diagnosed on the autism spectrum). Yet, I strongly align with how autistic sociologist Judy
Singer described our neurological difference: we’re neurodivergent, not disabled. Strictly speaking, we’re not
even necessarily autistic in the negative sense of the word. I have other qualities, other capabilities. I know my
value, and I have equal rights. My future disabled child has equal rights too.
“My dog needs a walk. I’ll call you back later. Thank you so much for your call,” I manage to politely utter. As I
put down the phone, I feel an incredible sense of unsafety in and around my body. I tremble as I walk into the
woods behind the house. Walking through the forest, I listen to the sounds around me, while the dog happily
runs about. There seem to be no problems here… until I lose sight of him and find him standing on the ice of the
little lake. He’s looking at me with terrified eyes. I’m terrified too. What have I gotten myself into? We’re both
on thin ice… and I’ve made a huge mistake consenting with this NIPT.
While helping the dog out of his precarious situation, I somehow come to terms with what just happened. The
doctor, whom I had confided in, had literally pulled the rug out from under me. Weren’t these results supposed
to be used to “improve and provide better healthcare for my child in case she would have a genetic disorder?” I
wasn’t even thinking about how she had looked up my results while saying she wouldn’t. It didn’t sit well with
me that now, all of a sudden, “better healthcare” was being translated into a—supposedly, if I could believe
her—national procedure to abort “such children.” How trustworthy was this NIPT actually? I wanted to run, as
far away as I could. This wasn’t really happening… THIS WAS NOT GOING TO HAPPEN TO ME, TO
US… At that moment, I even thought I could escape from it.
I walked, almost ran back to the house. I felt so small, so vulnerable, so full of adrenaline… I’m back at the
house and call the hospital: “I am calling in reference to my earlier conversation with Dr. X, you might know
about it?” “Yes”, mumbles the nurse. “I am calling to say I am withdrawing consent in sharing my and my
daughter’s medical files with any other hospital, including my GP.” The nurse responded: “This is not how
things work over here, maybe it’s different in the Netherlands.” (I have a Dutch accent.) “Yes this is how things
work over here,” I respond firmly, “I live here. I was born and raised here and I am aware of my rights. I do have
a right to medical confidentiality as any other person does. This right applies to my and my child’s medical files.
Also in Belgium. So again, I am asking you to clearly include in my medical files and those of my child, that
there is no consent to share them with anyone. Also not my GP. Please can you make sure to have a copy
available? I’d like to pick it up as soon as possible. I’ll drop by in 30 minutes. If it’s not ready, I’ll wait.”
An hour later, files in hand, I find myself buying a newspaper in the city centre. I need something to ground
myself in reality. But while reading the newspaper, I can’t stop thinking: “This is not my world anymore.
Nothing in this newspaper relates to me. I am here, you are all there. I’m in a different world. I’m falling into an
abyss that you all don’t know about. What is happening to me…?” Then the phone rings. My GP: “I just had a
call and heard you picked up your files from the hospital?” “There is no consent to share my files.” At this point
I feel I am getting angry. My patience is gone. “Yes, I know,” she rambles on, but I am barely able to receive
what she says, and feel myself sinking away, deeper and deeper, until I hear: “But don’t you think that if the
doctor advises you to abort, it would be wise to listen to her? Don’t you think the doctor knows better?”
That afternoon, I contact my former GP in the Netherlands and politely ask for a referral to the nearest Dutch
hospital. I am Dutch, live on the Dutch-Belgian border, and am insured in both countries (a luxury not everyone
has). I firmly believe that crossing the border, I would find a welcoming and nurturing environment—a place
where my possibly disabled child would be treated as an equal citizen. If I had only known.
Introduction
This dissertation explores the experiences of families of children with Trisomy 13 and 18
(T13/18), two severe genetic disorders, within the healthcare systems of three countries in the
European Union (Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany), as compared to experiences of
parents in the American healthcare system. The research investigates the extent to which the
differing views of parents and physicians regarding the care of children with these genetic
disorders influences parents’ experiences when they encounter negative eugenics.
Additionally, the study seeks to identify the culturally specific strategies that families employ
in response to these challenges. The study will compare parental experiences in the healthcare
systems of the US, characterised by a typical litigiousness and overwhelming fear of being
sued for medical malpractice, and these three countries in the EU, in order to understand how
modern-day eugenics is constituted in both the prenatal and postnatal context in these
Western societies.
A key aspect in the disability debate is the evaluation of the role of medicine in
defining disability in Western societies. As Foucault (1976, p. 252) argues, in biopolitical
states, ‘medicine becomes a political intervention-technique with specific power-effects.
Medicine is a form of power-knowledge that can be applied to both the body and the
population’. Similarly, Oliver (1990, Ch. 3) contends that the category of ‘disability’ is
socially constructed and fluid, able to resolve systemic contradictions within a given society.
Moreover, once certain groups are classified within this category, it becomes difficult, if not
impossible, for them to be excluded, creating a ‘distributive dilemma’ for states that can be
addressed in different ways depending on their mode of production. Oliver (1990, Ch. 3)
suggests that distribution based on needs may indicate the emergence of a socialist system,
while distribution based on costs may reflect a capitalist mode of production.
As Foucault argues, in its most extreme forms this ‘distributive dilemma’ manifests in
biopolitical societies in forms of ‘racism’. Foucault (1976, p. 255-259) argues that ‘racism’,
is ‘primarily a way of introducing a break into the domain of life that is under powers’
control: the break between what must live and what must die’. According to him, racism may
be seen as processes of stigmatisation, abandonment, rejection, expulsion and discrimination,
on the one hand. Or, on the other hand, as processes of killing or indirect killing…

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Schizophrenia is not a one-size-fits-all condition, and people often find themselves in a cycle of discontinuing and switching therapies. Studies have shown that approximately 40% of people with schizophrenia do not respond to therapy, and up to 60% experience a partial or inadequate improvement or intolerable side effects during therapy.

The FDA recently approved a new medication for the treatment of schizophrenia in adults, representing the first new class of medicine in more than 30 years. This new treatment option leverages a novel pathway and represents a new mechanistic approach to addressing the symptoms of schizophrenia.

Dr. Gus Alva, a Distinguished Fellow of the American Psychiatry Association will be available to discuss the significance of this new treatment for adults living with schizophrenia and their care partners, and its potential to transform the treatment landscape.

FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 30 YEARS, THE FDA HAS APPROVED THE FIRST DRUG REPRESENTING A NEW CLASS OF MEDICINE FOR THE TREATMENT OF SCHIZOPHRENIA.

ADULTS LIVING WITH SCHIZOPHRENIA HAVE A NEW TREATMENT OPTION TO HELP MANAGE THEIR CONDITION THAT INTRODUCES A FUNDAMENTALLY DIFFERENT APPROACH TO THE TREATMENT OF SCHIZOPHRENIA.

JOINING US NOW WITH MORE INFORMATION IS DR. GUS ALVA,  DISTINGUISHED  LIFETIME FELLOW OF THE AMERICAN PSYCHIATRY ASSOCIATION.

BIO

Dr. Gus Alva is the medical director of ATP clinical research (a premiere private clinical research company specializing in neuropsychiatric investigations). He is an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior at the University of California, Irvine (UCI). He is a forensic psychiatric consultant for the Orange County Superior Court and a diplomate of the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology.

Dr. Alva received his medical degree from the Autonomous University of Guadalajara (UAG). Residency training was completed at the University of California, Irvine Medical Center in the Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, where he served as chief resident during his final year of residency.

Dr. Alva has served as a principal investigator for the past 10 years conducting investigations in a myriad of neuropsychiatric conditions: Alzheimer’s and other dementias, depression, anxiety disorders, bipolar disorder and psychotic conditions. As a clinician and investigator, Dr Alva’s focus is on the genetics, neuroimaging, and latest treatments available for each aforementioned condition, as well as aspects of ethnicity and their correlation within clinical situations. He has published numerous articles, and presents at both national and international meetings and conferences.

He is the immediate past-president of the Orange County Psychiatric Society. Dr. Alva is also a member of many professional organizations, including the American Medical Association, the Orange County Medical Association, the California Psychiatric Association, the American Board of Forensic Medicine, the American College of Forensic Examiners, the California Hispanic American Medical Association and the International Congress of Geriatric Psychopharmacology.

IMORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION: INDICATION

COBENFY (xanomeline and trospium chloride) is a prescription medicine used to treat schizophrenia in adults.

It is not known if COBENFY is safe and effective in children.

IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION Do not take COBENFY if you:

•        have urinary retention problems that cause your bladder to not empty completely or not empty at all

•        have moderate or severe liver problems (impairment)

•        have gastric retention problems that cause your stomach to empty slowly

•        are allergic to COBENFY, xanomeline, or trospium chloride, or any of the ingredients in COBENFY

•        have an eye problem called untreated narrow-angle glaucoma

Before taking COBENFY, tell your healthcare provider about all of your medical conditions, including if you:

•        have an enlarged prostate, problems passing urine, or a blockage in your urinary bladder

•        have liver problems

•        have or have had gallstones or problems with your bile ducts or pancreas

•        have stomach or intestinal problems, including constipation, ulcerative colitis, slow emptying of your stomach, or myasthenia gravis

•        have an eye condition called narrow-angle glaucoma

•        have kidney problems

•        are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. It is not known if COBENFY may harm your unborn baby. Tell your healthcare provider if you become pregnant or think you are pregnant during treatment with

COBENFY. o               There is a pregnancy exposure registry for women who take COBENFY during pregnancy. The purpose of this registry is to collect information about the health of women exposed to COBENFY and their baby. If you become pregnant during treatment with COBENFY, your

healthcare provider will register you by calling 1-866-961-2388 or online at https://womensmentalhealth.org/research/pregnancyregistry/atypicalantipsychotic/

•        are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed. It is not known if COBENFY passes into your breast milk or if it can harm your baby.

Tell your healthcare provider about all the medicines you take, including prescription and over-the- counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements. Taking COBENFY with certain other medicines may increase your risk of side effects from COBENFY or the other medicine

The post BREAKING NEW GROUND IN SCHIZOPHRENIA TREATMENT appeared first on Good News!.

While viruses like the flu, RSV and COVID can impact people anytime, most people associate these viruses with colder and winter months – and while winter may be loosening its grip – these viruses are not.

Who is most vulnerable to respiratory illnesses?

Immunocompromised people. You qualify as “immunocompromised” if you have an illness that weakens your immune system, such as cancer, an autoimmune disease, or have had an organ transplant. You may also qualify if your immune system works well. but are being treated for another condition suppresses your immune response.

We all know someone who is immunocompromised and for these people, COVID can be deadly.

Approximately 3% of the U.S adult population is considered immunocompromised and are more susceptible to severe outcomes and complications of infectious disease.

The best thing you can do to protect yourself against respiratory infections includes:

Vaccines are the recommended approach

However, vaccines are shown to leave immunocompromised people exposed and need extra protection

Talk to your doctor about a COVID protection approach

Cover your cough or sneeze

On Thursday, February 27th, Dr. Amesh Adalja, Senior Scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, and Adjunct Assistant Professor at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, will be available to discuss the peaking of the respiratory illness season and how everyone can protect themselves. He’ll also discuss protecting immunocompromised people from COVID-19.

Interview is courtesy: Invivyd

#covid19 #respiratoryvirus #cdc #invivyd #expandtheiroptions #illness #disease #covid

The post Learn More About This Year’s Respiratory Virus Season appeared first on Good News!.

The CTA Foundation brought accessibility innovation to the spotlight at CES 2025 with two exclusive tours:

Go deeper: Interested in joining our partners, participating in our Industry Partner Council, and championing accessibility and aging tech? Contact nzundel@ctafoundation.tech to learn more.

The post CTA Foundation News appeared first on Good News!.

AARP SHARES THEIR GOOD NEWS AT THE HONG KONG DRAGON BOAT FESTIVAL

Listen to “AARP SHARES THEIR GOOD NEWS AT THE HONG KONG DRAGON BOAT FESTIVAL” on Spreaker.

NORTHWELL HEALTH CARE SHARES THEIR  GOOD NEWS AT THE HONG KONG DRAGON BOAT FESTIVAL

Listen to “NORTHWELL HEALTH CARE SHARES THEIR  GOOD NEWS AT THE HONG KONG DRAGON BOAT FESTIVAL” on Spreaker.

Memorial Sloan Kettering .SHARES THEIR GOOD NEWS AT THE HONG KONG DRAGON BOAT FESTIVAL

Listen to “Memorial Sloan Kettering .SHARES THEIR GOOD NEWS AT THE HONG KONG DRAGON BOAT FESTIVAL” on Spreaker.

VERIZON SHARES THEIR GOOD NEWS AT THE HONG KONG DRAGON BOAT FESTIVAL

Listen to “VERIZON SHARES THEIR GOOD NEWS AT THE HONG KONG DRAGON BOAT FESTIVAL” on Spreaker.

IAN THE FESTIVAL Announcer for 20 years and Emily Post SHARES THEIR GOOD NEWS AT THE HONG KONG DRAGON BOAT FESTIVAL

Listen to “IAN THE FESTIVAL Announcer for 20 years and Emily Post SHARES THEIR GOOD NEWS AT THE HONG KONG DRAGON BOAT FESTIVAL” on Spreaker.

HENRY WAN  Founder of the Hong Kong Dragon BOAT FESTIVAL and Racers Close the Good News Broadcast

Listen to “HENRY WAN  Founder of the Hong Kong Dragon BOAT FESTIVAL and Racers Close the Good News Broadcast” on Spreaker.

#hongkongdragonboatfestival

The post Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival August 3rd, 2024 Flushing Meadow, NY appeared first on Good News!.

The post NYC Health + Hospitals Faith Based Initiatives Monthly Newsletter, July 2024 appeared first on Good News!.

HERE TO TALK ABOUT THESE IMPORTANT FINDINGS AND HOW THEY MAY HELP ADDRESS AN ONGOING AND UNMET NEED IN THE HIV COMMUNITY IS DR. HARMONY GARGES (GAR-JES), CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER FROM ViiV (VEEV) HEALTHCARE.

BIO:

Dr. Harmony Garges is the Chief Medical Officer at ViiV Healthcare – the only pharmaceutical company 100% dedicated to HIV – where she is responsible for Regulatory, Safety and Medical Affairs across the company’s innovative pipeline and portfolio. Just like the company she works for, Harmony’s guiding mission is to ensure that no person living with HIV is left behind.

After obtaining her MD degree and completing her pediatrics residency at Duke University, Harmony pursued her interest in infectious diseases further with fellowships in Pediatric Infectious Diseases and Medical Microbiology at Duke, along with her MPH in Epidemiology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Following her training, Harmony maintained an active clinical practice, providing care to children and adolescents living with HIV and other infectious diseases.

In 2005, Harmony joined GSK’s HIV program in the Infectious Diseases group, working on global development programs as a project physician leader. In this role she oversaw three successful New Drug and Marketing Authorization Applications and provided medical leadership and strategy for the development of various other anti-infectives including the first human trials of dolutegravir – the most prescribed HIV medicine in the world.

Subsequently, Harmony joined the Global Clinical Safety and Pharmacovigilance team at GSK, where she provided safety strategy and governance for several large global clinical development programs in the pharmaceutical space. She then led a large, global team overseeing the safety aspects of GSK’s large Classic and Established Medicines portfolio. From there, she joined the GSK Consumer Health business, where she spent three years as the Chief Medical Officer. She then joined ViiV Healthcare in 2016 and has held several roles in Global Medical Affairs before assuming her current role of Chief Medical Officer at the company in 2019.

#hiv #disease #aids #clinicaldata #dailypills #viiv #drharmonygarges #cabenuva #healthcare #medicalofficer #infectiousdiseases

The post IT MAY SURPRISE YOU TO LEARN THAT EACH YEAR, TENS OF THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE IN THIS COUNTRY ARE DIAGNOSED WITH HIV. WORLDWIDE, ROUGHLY 39-MILLION PEOPLE LIVE WITH THE DISEASE. RESEARCHERS AND SCIENTISTS STUDYING HIV RECENTLY ATTENDED A GLOBAL SUMMIT… appeared first on Good News!.

Type 1 diabetes can’t be prevented or cured. However, it can be detected early through autoantibody screening before any noticeable symptoms arise, before insulin is required, and potentially before any serious complications occur. One such complication is diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), a serious healthcare crisis that can be life-threatening. Early screening may help people potentially reduce their risk of going through DKA by up to 50%.

There’s a powerful social movement underway called “The 1 Pledge” that includes diverse voices of the type 1 diabetes community. The goal of the movement is to take action and get screened. Anyone can be screened for type 1 diabetes-related autoantibodies. By getting screened for type 1 diabetes early, people may give themselves and their families more time to prepare and plan for the future.

In an effort to spread the word about The 1 Pledge movement and the importance of screening for type 1 diabetes ahead of April 15 (Type 1 Diabetes Day), we invite you to join Dr. Michael B. Natter – a leading, New York-based Endocrinologist (who specializes in treating people with diabetes)

Dr. Natter has type 1 diabetes himself, having been diagnosed at age nine. Dr. Natter will discuss risk factors for type 1 diabetes and who should get screened. He will also talk about The 1 Pledge and the power of creating a plan of action to get screened, from his perspective as both a healthcare provider and a person living with type 1 diabetes.

Interview is courtesy: Sanofi

#diabetes #disease #screenfortype1 #thepledge #sanofi #type1 #insulin #diabetic #therapy #lifelongtherapy #ipledge #the1pledge #families #endocrinologist #diaagnosed #healthcare

The post TYPE 1 DIABETES IS ON THE RISE IN THIS COUNTRY. CURRENTLY, ABOUT 1.24 MILLION AMERICANS LIVE WITH THE DISEASE, AND THAT NUMBER IS EXPECTED TO GROW TO FIVE MILLION BY 2050… appeared first on Good News!.

In 2023, the Foundation awarded grants to 17 nonprofits and universities to support their efforts to solve accessibility and aging challenges. We were also able to add a new roundtable, hosted in Washington, DC during National Disability Employment month to advance the conversation on accessible employment. All of this work is thanks to the generosity of individual donors like you, and industry sponsors.

With just a few minutes of your time, you can, make your donation securely online so our work can continue into 2024.   

Your gift will join the collective generosity of all our donors to ensure 2024 sees continued gains in making this world more accessible for all. In addition to our existing programs, the Foundation plans to expand our efforts next year to include a Hackathon targeting accessible solutions for digital healthcare, and a unique partnership to deliver connection to at-risk senior communities using virtual reality. We can’t do any of this without you.     

I hope you will consider being a partner in our work once again. We have several options for giving, including the ability to give tribute gifts, or break your giving into bite-sized chunks through our Capacitor Society.   

Happy New Year,

Stephen Ewell
Executive Director, CTA Foundation
Consumer Technology Association

#steveewell #ctafoundation #cta #ces #tech #healthcare #disabilities #seniors #virtualreality

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A mental health crisis is playing out on the streets of New York City.

Decades of disinvestment and stigmatization have left our city’s behavioral health system with insufficient resources and inadequate capacity at almost every level.

The result: We are failing New Yorkers with serious mental illnesses, such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, leading to a vicious cycle that impacts not only people struggling with mental illness but also their loved ones, neighbors, and community.

Here is how the cycle plays out. People with untreated psychiatric conditions that require being admitted for in-patient care are unable to get access to a bed because Manhattan has lost a significant number of in-patient psychiatric beds.

Instead, they return to the streets when discharged prematurely.

Those who are lucky enough to get a bed and are successfully stabilized need ongoing treatment through community-based outpatient services, peer-support programs, and long-term supportive housing when they leave the hospital.

But here again, patients often run into a lack of capacity and, without care, become seriously vulnerable to falling through the cracks of our healthcare system and are likely to land back on the streets and subways.

Once out of care and facing instability, this disastrous mental health cycle plays itself out over and over again.

To help better support these New Yorkers, my office is releasing “Breaking the Cycle,” a policy initiative outlining several key recommendations to tackle the leading causes of this crisis. These include:

Adding 600+ long-term psychiatric beds
Addressing shortages of clinical staff in behavioral health
Speeding up the development of supportive housing
Expanding community-based and peer-led programs
Doubling mental health teams for street outreach
Implementing these initiatives will not be easy. Some will require significant investment and political capital.

But we cannot be deterred. No matter the price, our city has a moral obligation to build a system that better serves New Yorkers with serious mental illness.

The urgency of this issue demands immediate and decisive action. We must transform our city into a place where everyone, regardless of their mental health, has access to the necessary support and resources to live with dignity and hope.

NYC Must Lead Boldly on AI

Manhattan knows we need more housing…way more housing. With the average rent topping $5,000 a month, it’s no wonder everyday New Yorkers are demanding solutions, and fast!

We’re looking at it from all angles – identifying 171 sites borough-wide where new housing is possible, approving housing projects in the pipeline more quickly than ever, and keeping up the drumbeat for supporting new construction.

Last week, Politico profiled the BP’s efforts to make way for more housing in the borough and the overwhelmingly positive response from Manhattanites.

If you would like to read more, check out our last newsletter, in which the BP put our commitment to tackling the housing crisis front and center. Want to see more housing built? Sign our petition here.

Do you enjoy helping your community? Do you have some extra time?

Year round, the Manhattan Volunteer Corps helps out with community clean-ups, clothing drives, boroughwide events, and more. It’s a great way to give back to your fellow New Yorkers and get to know your neighbors across Manhattan.

No matter what you’re interested in or what your skills are, we’ve got a spot for you on Team Levine. We’ve got a packed schedule for 2024, so sign up now to join the Manhattan Volunteer Corps!

Featured: BP’s Manhattan Composting Initiative

NYC Public Schools kindergarten applications are open now through January 19, 2024. Kindergarten offers will be available to families on March 27. Apply and learn more about kindergarten admission here.

The post A mental health crisis is playing out on the streets of New York City…BREAKING THE CYCLE appeared first on Good News!.