A mental health crisis is especially frightening when it involves young children. In these situations, Bronxites may not know that they can call the VNS Health Children’s Mobile Crisis Team where their program assistant, Gabby Perez, will send out a quick response that lasts well after the initial crisis is over.
Perez, a 33-year-old Bronx native who lives in the Pelham Bay neighborhood, takes referrals and coordinates a group that ventures to any part of the Bronx to meet kids who need immediate help.
These types of mobile services are needed now more than ever. Mental health struggles are increasingly affecting even the very young, according to a report titled the State of Mental Health of New Yorkers recently released by the city Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. Among the families surveyed, 15% of children ages 3 to 13 had received a mental health diagnosis, with Black, Latino and white children more likely to have a diagnosis than other racial groups such as Asians and Pacific Islanders.
The report also noted that among teens, defined as 13 to 17-year-olds, the number reporting persistent feelings of sadness and hopelessness increased by 11% between 2011 and 2021. Not all of these youth will experience a crisis, but the trend points in the wrong direction.
Serving the entire borough, “My team is always on the go,” Perez told the Bronx Times.
Crisis means different things to different people, Perez said. People call to report youth experiencing anxiety, depression, aggressive behavior, substance abuse, self-harm and suicidal ideation — and sometimes it’s simply a kid who has poor hygiene or has stopped going to school.
The referral can come from a school staff member, social worker, employee of a city agency like the Administration for Children’s Services (ACS), parent, friend or relative. Sometimes, the caller is not even sure if there actually is a crisis. But no matter what prompts the call, there’s usually a larger issue going on, said Perez.
When it comes to youth mental health, “We know signs” of issues requiring quick intervention, she said.
Perez’s team serves youth up to age 20, after which age VNS Health sends out a team serving adults. The youth team consists of a family advocate and licensed social worker, along with coordination staff like Perez, who organize the response and connect the family with ongoing support services. They help develop safety plans, if necessary, and follow up with the young person for weeks after the emergency.
Perez said her team is “very hands-on,” making sure the youth go to appointments for services and helping reschedule if necessary.
Although Perez does not accompany the street teams, she is trained and always on alert for people in need — which helped save someone’s life back in April.
That day, Perez was walking to work along East 153rd Street — a location she said is known to have many users of heavy drugs — when she spotted a woman on the ground. At first, Perez said she didn’t see any signs of what was wrong. But people nearby said no one recognized her, and Perez realized that it seemed like an overdose.
She quickly administered two doses of the overdose-reversing drug Narcan, which she carries with her at all times. Even after both doses, the woman remained unconscious. Perez went to get a third dose, and the woman finally started to wake up. When EMS arrived, they told Perez that she had saved the woman’s life.
Because of her training, Perez was “more than fully equipped and ready” to administer Narcan in a hurry—a practice she recommends for everyone because you never know when you’ll run into someone who needs help.
Especially for the youngest New Yorkers, “We’re literally just here for you,” said Perez.
The VNS Health Children’s Mobile Crisis team can be reached by calling 988. For a list of behavioral health services available in the Bronx, see the VNS Health website.
This story was updated on July 30, 2024 at 3:20 p.m. to better reflect Perez’s title on the team.
Reach Emily Swanson at eswanson@schnepsmedia.com or (646) 717-0015. For more coverage, follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram @bronxtimes
