NAMI-NYC (local affiliate of the National Alliance on Mental Illness) will mark May’s Mental Health Awareness Month with a focus on meeting the immediate needs of New Yorkers impacted by COVID-19. With added online video support groups and programs, NAMI-NYC is working to keep pace with demand for mental health support in the community after experiencing a 60% surge in its Helpline calls to address depression, grief, anxiety, panic attacks and other related mental health conditions since mid-March.

Executive Director Matt Kudish said, “With the uncertainty and social isolation of this global pandemic, our number one priority is ensuring that anyone who requires help, information or support, receives it, free of charge.” Kudish continued, “Now more than ever, our community is in urgent need of our life-changing services to address their mental health needs and serious mental illness conditions. We expect that the number of New Yorkers who seek our aid will exponentially grow in the coming months due to COVID-19, far exceeding the 19,000 individuals we helped last year.”

NAMI-NYC’s online activities and initiatives for Mental Health Awareness Month will launch on Friday, May 1st.