Support provided by Northwell’s Mather Hospital, which delivers the five-star difference in exceptional care and is ranked by Medicare in the top 5% of hospitals nationwide for overall clinical performance and patient experience.
“Within these walls, lives will be transformed.”
Those were the words of Dr. Erin Dainer, chair of Mather Hospital’s Department of Psychiatry.
Dr. Dainer had helped spearhead efforts for the hospital to purchase the building at 100 Highlands Blvd., across from Mather, and transform the space into a mental health center with the aim of expanding programs for Long Islanders in need.
The building was purchased using public and private funds totaling $9.2 million, which included a grant from the state Department of Health.
It was dedicated at a special-ribbon cutting ceremony Monday in Port Jefferson.
That’s where Dr. Dainer spoke to a huge crowd of staffers and supporters.
“Tonight, we choose hope,” she said. “Tonight, we celebrate a victory. This facility, born from the collective will of government, healthcare providers, and generous philanthropists, stands as proof that together, we can make a difference.”
The new Outpatient Behavioral Health building houses Mather’s adult and adolescent partial hospitalization programs, chemical dependency program, eating disorders and gambling addiction programs, as well as a new rapid access center — allowing patients immediate access to assessments and referrals for behavorial health care.
“The statistics are stark, but they are not just numbers,” Dr. Dainer said. “They represent real people, our friends, family, and neighbors. Every year, more than one in five New Yorkers battle the invisible wounds of mental health disorders, and in any year one in 10 face challenges so profound they impact their ability to work, to love, to simply live.
“The need is monumental and has only been made worse by the opioid epidemic and recent pandemic.”
Nationwide, an estimated 53 million Americans are living with mental illness, added Denise Driscoll, a nurse practitioner and assistant vice president for behavioral health at Mather Hospital.
“There is no doubt we have a mental health and substance abuse crisis in this country,” she said. “Suicide is the second leading cause of death among people aged 10 to 14 and the twelfth leading cause of death overall in the U.S.”
She also said 2.5 million Americans are currently diagnosed with an opioid use disorder.
“According to the CDC, annual drug overdose deaths have eclipsed the peak of yearly deaths from car crashes, gun violence or any one year of the AIDS epidemic,” Driscoll added.
There is only one provider available for every 350 people looking for services, and 28 percent of adults experiencing mental health symptoms reported they were not able to access or navigate their way to the treatment they so desperately needed, Driscoll said.
“Let 100 Highlands be a permanent symbol to our community that no one gets left behind and a beacon of hope to those living with mental illness and substance abuse that recovery and a life well lived is possible,” she said.
— Mather courtesy photo from Monday’s ribbon-cutting ceremony. Full photo below.
