Our Voice

Preventing Copycat Suicide in the Wake of Jonghyun’s Death

January 3, 2018 | 1 Reply

By Anderson Sungmin Yoon, DSW, LCSW-R, CASAC, RPT-S
Vice President, Integrated and Value-Based Care

On December 18, 27-year-old Korean “K-pop” artist Jonghyun, lead singer of global boy band SHINee, was found unconscious in an apartment in Seoul. He was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital, where he was immediately taken. The cause was suicide.

Like most, it was a tragedy that didn’t need to happen. Continue reading →

Northwell Pediatric Residents and The Child Center of NY Collaborate

November 16, 2017 | Leave a reply

By Traci Donnelly
Chief Executive Officer

Last Wednesday, pediatric residents of the prestigious Cohen Children’s Medical Center, Northwell Health came to The Child Center’s Corona Head Start location to provide primary medical services, including physical examinations; medical histories; height and weight measurements; vision, hearing, and nutritional screenings; and parental guidance to low-income families. Through our partnership with Northwell, residents will provide this service to our clients once a month for a year at our Corona and Flushing locations, for clients across our programs. This service is absolutely free. Continue reading →

13 Reasons Why Not

August 10, 2017 | Leave a reply

By Renée Riebling

A victim of bullying wants, above all, for the torture to just stop; most victims also would like to see their tormentors pay, or at least understand the agony they caused. Netflix’s hit series 13 Reasons Why, a binge-worthy, suspenseful drama that chronicles the final months of a troubled teen who ends up taking her own life, offers suicide as a satisfying way to achieve both — and a new study indicates it might be having devastating consequences. Continue reading →

Three Ways Schools Can Counter the Rise in Teen Suicide

May 18, 2017 | Leave a reply

And an Offer to Help Schools Implement One of Them

Just in time for Mental Health Awareness Month, CNN reported last weekend on an alarming rise in children hospitalized with suicidal thoughts or actions. To those of us in the mental health field, the news was troubling and disheartening, but not surprising. At The Child Center of NY, which has been providing mental health services to children and families for more than 60 years, we’ve seen the increase firsthand across our clinics and other behavioral health programs. Thankfully, we’ve also seen what works to counter it: more mental health services in the place where kids spend most of their day — their schools — offered early, and on every level. Continue reading →

Join the Sustain Our Sanctuary Campaign

April 13, 2017 | Leave a reply

Our organization is a vital partner with government in providing services in the community; government relies on our expertise in creating and delivering programs, and we in turn rely on government contracts for many of the services we offer. Through this partnership, government obligations are met and our mission is moved forward.

In fact, New York City outsources almost all human services to nonprofits, investing about $4 billion annually in programs that serve 1.5 million New Yorkers each year Continue reading →

Statement of Child Center CEO Traci Donnelly on the Redfern Community Center

March 27, 2017 | Leave a reply

I am thrilled to announce that The Child Center of NY will serve as the new provider for the Redfern Community Center in Far Rockaway, Queens.

Continue reading →

Statement of Child Center CEO Traci Donnelly on the Passing of Former Borough President Helen Marshall

March 6, 2017 | Leave a reply

On behalf of everyone at The Child Center of NY, I want to express my deepest sadness on the passing of former Queens Borough President Helen Marshall. Continue reading →

When It Comes to Criminal Justice Reform, Why Aren’t We Mentioning Mothers?

January 19, 2017 | 2 Replies

With all the recent press surrounding criminal justice issues—including President Obama’s record number of sentence commutations and his substantial piece in Harvard Law Review about the need to replace a policy of ongoing punishment with a policy of second chances—where is the mention of incarcerated mothers? Barriers that prevent women from raising their children from prison and upon their release are having a profound impact on many communities and the nation as a whole; removing them should be at the top of any criminal justice agenda. Yet the issue receives nary a mention. Continue reading →

Robert Cizma Heads Up New Child Center Program Area

January 17, 2017 | Leave a reply

Staff Spotlight: Robert Cizma, Vice President of Health Homes and Integrated Care

“My philosophy has always been ‘it takes a village.’ We want to help families so they get to the point where they don’t need us. In other words, we want to be that village.”

Robert Cizma is all about comprehensive services and wraparound treatment, having had the opportunities over his 30-year+ career to view client needs at every level. His extensive experience in behavioral health services, as a line worker on up to his current position as Vice President of Health Homes and Integrated Care for The Child Center of NY, has provided him with a unique perspective. The new position, initiated with Robert’s hiring, creates a fifth program area for the agency.

Continue reading →