Mayor Eric Adams held a news conference on Thursday to inform New Yorkers of the city’s plans regarding improving mental health.  

The mayor started off discussing the mental health of youth in public schools, saying he wants to expand school-based mental health clinics, social-emotional learning and screening. He also said that there is a plan to launch a telehealth program for high school teens and wants to create a youth suicide prevention pilot program.  

Adams stated that over 250,000 New Yorkers live with serious mental illness, and that nearly 40% of those people do not receive treatment. To combat that, he says the city plans to improve access to care, expand stable housing options and opportunities for education and employment, and support families impacted by those with mental illness.  

Lastly, Adams focused on overdose deaths in the city, saying that he wants the city to make more overdose reversal drugs, like naloxone, available, as well as other supplies. He also expressed his support to open more overdose prevention centers.  

“These spaces will provide those with low barrier assistance and decrease the chance of overdosing through treatment and recovery options,” said Adams.