The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust has announced a three-year, $3.9 million grant to NYC Health + Hospitals in support of virtual behavioral health services.

The largest municipal healthcare system in the United States will use the grant to launch and integrate a behavioral health service—including psychiatric support and substance abuse treatment—into its virtual urgent care platform, ExpressCare. The grant also will enable the system to work with the NYC Department of Homeless Services to create a tailored version of the service for those experiencing homelessness and provide treatment at 25 homeless shelters and six mobile street outreach clinics in the first year. In the second year, NYC Health + Hospitals will work to increase the use of ExpressCare and plan, execute, and evaluate four behavioral health engagement strategies targeted to some of the hardest-to-reach patients, including addressing barriers for homeless or unstably housed patients such as difficulties accessing and navigating the service and prohibitive cost-sharing requirements.

NYC Health + Hospitals launched its virtual urgent care program in 2020 with support from the Helmsley Trust to tailor the service for homeless patients, in partnership with the Helmsley-funded NYC Collaborative for Homeless Healthcare, which advised on the process.

“The expansion of ExpressCare to include on-demand urgent behavioral health care will reduce avoidable, costly trips to the emergency room and go a long way in improving preventive health care for this vulnerable population,” said Hemsley Trust New York City program officer Tracy Perrizo. “We appreciate the vision and partnership of NYC Health + Hospitals and look forward to expanding behavioral health services for this important patient population.”

“We understand how difficult it may be for New Yorkers experiencing homelessness to get to a doctor’s office,” said NYC Health + Hospitals President and CEO Mitchell Katz. “This grant will allow NYC Health + Hospitals to bring some stability to their lives by making mental health and substance abuse services available 24/7 through our virtual platform.”

(Photo credit: Getty Images/Phiromya Intawongpan)