Saint Joseph’s Medical Center announced that it has received a $250,000 one-year grant to increase access to behavioral health crisis services and support the implementation of the new nationwide suicide hotline number, known as 988 Lifeline, at St. Vincent’s Hospital Westchester in Harrison. This grant was made possible by the Westchester Community Foundation, a division of The New York Community Trust.

“The anxiety and isolation of the COVID-19 pandemic have contributed to increases in depression, substance abuse, and suicide ideation in Westchester County,” said Laura Rossi, Esq, Executive Director of Westchester Community Foundation. “With this grant we hope to get people the specialized help that they need and expand crisis prevention support. With this grant, we can save lives.”

The grant will be used to:  

• Provide 24/7 telephonic and video coverage for crisis services and expand the operations of the mobile resource to evenings and weekends;

• Make the Crisis Prevention and Response Team available as an alternative to, or as additional support for, 911 responders in cases where individuals are experiencing behavioral health symptoms; 

• Recruit and train staff to prepare for the July 2022 launch of the national 988 Lifeline.

“As one of the largest providers of behavioral health services in the New York Metro Region, we are very pleased to receive this generous grant from the Westchester Community Foundation,” said Michael Spicer, President and CEO of Saint Joseph’s Medical Center. “This grant will help increase our services at a time when they are most urgently needed.”