RyeCity REVIEW THE
June 30, 2023 | Vol. 10, Number 26 | www.ryecityreview.com
PRO RUGBY
Latimer gives Project Alliance update
HEATS UP
The Project Alliance initiative, which first launched in 2021, uses a five-prong approach to create a comprehensive system of crisis intervention.
Rugby New York squares off against Old Glory DC at Memorial Field in Mount Vernon on June 25. The two MLR teams played a playoff eliminator, which DC won 37-33. For story, see page 16.
Gilda’s Club Westchester celebrates Community Is Stronger Than Cancer Day Gilda’s Club Westchester is joining its fellow Cancer Support Community’s (CSC) network partners that include CSC, Gilda’s Clubs, and healthcare partnerships, to celebrate the second annual Community Is Stronger Than Cancer Day. Following the success of the previous year’s inaugural day, CSC and its network are excited to announce that they are continuing the tradition. The event is a day of awareness to promote the support, resources, and services that the passionate community provides to cancer patients, survivors, caregivers, and loved ones. The celebration takes place each year on June 28, a date that coincides with the birthday of one of the great comic geniuses of the 20th century: beloved Saturday Night Live star Gilda Radner who died of ovarian cancer. It was Gilda Radner’s experience at The Wellness Community in Santa Monica, California that inspired the creation of Gilda’s Club. The Cancer Support Community was formed in 2009 when Gilda’s Club and The Wellness Community merged. Gilda’s Club Westchester is part of
the 190 locations in the United States and beyond that make up a network where cancer patients, survivors, caregivers, and loved one’s access free emotional support, healthy lifestyle activities, social connection, education, and referral services provided with compassion and expertise—in person or online. Across all locations, the network has served the community with nearly 300,000 visits in 2022. Each year, Gilda’s Club Westchester alone serves over 4,000 people. Gilda’s Club Westchester Member Mila Bello stated: Gilda Radner once said, “The goal is to live a full, productive life even with all that ambiguity.” And that’s just what Gilda’s has done for me. It’s allowed me to be more than my cancer and to live as fully as possible despite my diagnosis by providing me opportunities to take pleasure in social activities and FREE programs that I might not have been able to have had access to without Gilda’s. In addition to having support in their community, participants are presented opportunities to join forces with other impacted people from partner locations
to advocate on issues important to cancer patients at the state and national levels and to contribute to important research that inspires positive change in cancer care and the patient experience. Executive Director of Gilda’s Club Westchester Sarah Sedo says “Being a part of Gilda’s Club and CSC means being a part of a community. It is about finding a place and people you can connect to during one of the most difficult life experiences someone can go through. No one wants to be in the position to seek out our services, but all we can hope is that once someone does, they feel less overwhelmed, less anxious, less depressed, and less alone. Every service we offer, for free to our members, is aimed at supporting them and making their cancer journey more manageable.” Gilda’s Club Westchester is asking its supporters to help the network raise awareness of the services available to impacted people at no cost by sharing its social media posts using the hashtags #CelebrateCSCGC #CommunityisStrongerThanCancer.
Under the leadership of Westchester County Executive George Latimer, the Police Reform and Reimagining Task Force, the Departments of Community Mental Health (DCMH), Public Safety, Emergency Services and Social Services, and several partner organizations, Project Alliance has made significant progress in the county’s response to people experiencing a behavioral or mental health crisis. The initiative, which first launched in 2021, uses a five-prong approach to create a comprehensive system of crisis intervention. Project Alliance’s five prongs include: • 911 Diversion – Diverting 911 crisis calls to qualified mental health professionals • Enhanced Behavioral Health Line – 988 National Crisis and Suicide Prevention Line, operational 24/7 • Enhanced Training for EMS Personnel – Adult Mental Health First Aid training to police, fire, EMS and military • Crisis Intervention Team Development – Fundamentals of Crisis Intervention for multiple jurisdictions throughout Westchester, all new police recruits at Westchester County Police Academy
• Mobile Crisis Response Teams (MCRT) – DCMH contracted with five mental health providers to create a partnership with local police departments, and County Government. Each team is responsible for covering a dedicated catchment area, and can provide mutual aid when needed. Latimer said: “Today we can confidently say that, through a concerted, collaborative effort involving multiple County departments and agencies, we are really seeing a difference in the way our first responders react to mental health crisis. We heard where enhancements were needed, and we digested that information into real, tangible ways to adjust how we approach training, community outreach and mental health needs. Project Alliance is ensuring that whenever possible, a behavioral health emergency is being met with a specific behavioral health response.” DCMH Commissioner Michael Orth said: “We are greatly appreciative of the County Departments of Public Safety and Emergency Services, local law enforcement, and our community partners for their collaboration in develop-
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