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Low-key DeBlasio in Claremont, shines spotlight on wife’s work

By GLYNIS HART
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CLAREMONT — A low-key Bill DeBlasio, the mayor of New York City who is contemplating a run for president, turned the spotlight on his wife, Chirlane McCray, during a roundtable event at Sugar River Valley Tech Center Sunday morning. 

“My job today is to introduce the First Lady,” said DeBlasio. The roundtable brought together professionals in law enforcement, medicine, mental health and social services to discuss how to deal with the nationwide epidemic of substance abuse and mental illness. 

DeBlasio said when he took office as mayor, his wife had to decide how she wanted to be the city’s First Lady. She chose a role dealing with the issue “that was getting the most stigma, the least funding, the least attention … She’s making a huge difference.” 

McCray’s family is from Claremont; her mother graduated from Stevens High School, and her grandfather worked at Sullivan Machinery. She knows the city well from visiting her grandparents. 

“My mother and her seven sisters were born in that house on Mulberry Street,” said McCray. “She got a good education and a strong work ethic. When she left Claremont, she brought all that with her.” 

However, her mother also struggled all her life with her emotional health, she continued. “I’m very attuned to those challenges. This is part of the human condition; we’re all touched by this.” 

“Half of all mental health disorders can be identified by the age of 14. Clearly, we could be doing so much more to help children,” said McCray. She connected mental illness and substance abuse: “We have done a great disservice to our country by separating them out.” 

McCray initiated ThriveNYC, a comprehensive mental health program, and leads the national Cities Thrive Coalition, of which Claremont is a member. ThriveNYC has a central access point in its hotline, so people who call the hotline, NYC Well, for help can also make an appointment for mental health care before they hang up. The city has mobile mental health crisis teams, who back up the police when they’re going into a situation. Thrive NYC also trains ordinary people and people who deal with the public to recognize mental illness symptoms and empowers them to intervene. 

“We’ve had to be creative,” said McCray. She added, “The number one substance people call NYC-Well about is alcohol. This is a huge crisis, and I cannot believe it is not the number one issue for any presidential candidate.”

DeBlasio recalled meeting with then-Police Commissioner Bill Bratton when the initiative first started. “He said, ‘Thank God you’re doing this. For too long my officers have had to be mental health counselors and they’re not trained for it.’

“We have increasingly been able to say to our officers, ‘You’re not going in alone; you’re going with a team’,” said DeBlasio. 

DeBlasio addressed the issue of cost, saying that when people get mental health treatment before they attempt suicide or wind up in the hospital, or any of a number of bad outcomes, that not only is more humane but it saves the taxpayers’ money. “All of us in government have to do more with less all the time. This is one of the best ways to spend money because it helps people before it’s too late.” 

Claremont Police Chief Mark Chase said the “bread and butter” of what the force does is handle mental health complaints and substance abuse issues. “Usually we see people so many times before they hit rock bottom …” 

McCray offered some angles on the problem. “We need to focus on prevention; if we don’t do that work up front we’re always going to have people in crisis.” 

Dr. Sally Kraft of Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center said privacy policies can get in the way of effective care. Another obstacle to treating substance abuse and mental illness is low reimbursement by Medicaid.

McCray said having a single point of access is helpful for managing costs, and the answer to low reimbursement is a legislative issue as well. 

“There’s the beginning of a consensus nationally that there has to be federal funding for mental health,” said DeBlasio. “I think there’s more of a potential for bipartisanship on this issue than any other.” 

DeBlasio addressed the privacy issue: “We found the police department and the health department have the best ability to appropriately and legally navigate mental health issues. Those two agencies have access to records and the right to talk to each other. Let’s use that reality for our benefit.” 

Although the privacy laws were written with the best intentions, he said, “Inadvertently these laws are hindering our ability to save lives.” 

The roundtable concluded with Mayor Charlene Lovett promising to include the professionals at the table in the monthly phone conference with the Cities Thrive Coalition. 

McCray said she and her husband were going to go by Mulberry Street and visit a house she remembers fondly.

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