QBP Richards Announces $2 million in Free Mental Health Services for Queens

A national provider of virtual mental health therapy is working with Queens Borough President Donovan Richards to provide $2 million in services through community-based organizations in Queens. Richards made the announcement at Elmcor Youth & Adult Activities in Corona Tuesday (Photo: @QnsBPRichards)

Oct. 12, 2022 By Christian Murray

Queens Borough President Donovan Richards announced Tuesday that a national provider of online mental health services is partnering with 10 Queens-based organizations to offer $2 million in therapy services.

Richards made the announcement at Elmcor Youth & Adult Activities in Corona and noted that many residents are in need of help given the hardship caused by the pandemic.

“The past few years have been extremely difficult for all of us in Queens, as we work to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic and the crises around housing, an economic downturn, food insecurity, racial injustice and more. To all those struggling, you don’t have to struggle alone,” Richards said.

The services will be provided by BetterHelp, the nation’s leading virtual mental health therapy provider, with the 10 organizations receiving $175,000 in services to make available through their networks.

The remaining $250,000 in services will be distributed to residents at the discretion of the borough president’s office.

“Now, more than ever, we need to support one another. I couldn’t be prouder to partner with BetterHelp to bring its expertise and badly needed therapy services to Queens and the community-based organizations who uplift so many families every day,” Richards said.

The 10 community-based organizations that will receive the services cover the entire borough. The 10 recipients of the services are:

Elmcor Youth & Adult Activities in Corona
Forest Hills Jewish Center in Forest Hills
Glow Community Center in Flushing
Jackson Heights Bangladeshi Business Association in Jackson Heights
LIFE Camp, Inc. in Jamaica
Rockaway Development and Revitalization Corporation in Far Rockaway
Sunnyside Community Services in Sunnyside
United Federation of Teachers
Urban Resource Institute
Urban Upbound in Long Island City

BetterHelp said that it aims to make its services accessible to all through the partnership.

“We’re incredibly honored to partner with Queens Borough President Donovan Richards to make mental health services more accessible to Queens residents and the community-based organizations that support them,” said BetterHelp President and Founder Alon Matas. “Our mission is to make therapy accessible to all, and this partnership is a big step in that direction for the Queens community.”

Many of the leaders of the community-based organizations said the partnership with BetterHelp comes at the right time.

“We are so pleased to have been chosen to participate in this initiative,” said Sunnyside Community Services Executive Director Judy Zangwill. “COVID-19 has profoundly affected the mental health wellness of the people in our communities, and we applaud Borough President Richards for taking this important step toward addressing the issue.”