The January 16 convening is the second in a three-part series of policy roundtables that center concepts of social equity. A moderated panel discussion will identify challenges that typically affect children, youth, and their families — including exposure to trauma, the impact of COVID, and the social determinants of health.
Background Information
Numerous reports from public health officials over the last two years have documented a children’s mental health crisis that was certainly exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic but existed for many decades before. The current crisis, if left unchecked, could break the children’s mental health system, in addition to other systems such as the educational, child welfare, and juvenile justice systems.
Download a PDF with key facts about youth mental health
Speaker Bios
MODERATOR
James Rodriguez, PhD, LCSW
Senior Director for Clinical Initiatives, NYU McSilver Institute
Dr. James Rodriguez is a Senior Research Scientist and Director of Trauma-Informed Services at the McSilver Institute. He is a New York State-licensed clinical social worker and psychologist with over 25 years of providing mental health services to children, youth and families in a variety of service settings, including direct practice, training and research experience in the area of trauma treatment and services. His work at NYU McSilver includes the development and dissemination of training materials to promote trauma-informed care in diverse service settings for children, youth and families. In addition, Dr. Rodriguez has a private practice that focuses on trauma treatment. As well, he is an adjunct faculty member and teaches cultural competence at the NYU Silver School of Social Work.
Evelyn Blanck, LCSW
Executive Director of the New York Center for Child Development
Evelyn Blanck is the Executive Director of the New York Center for Child Development, Executive Vice President of the New York Center for Infants and Toddlers, Inc. and Director of the NYC Early Childhood Mental Health Training and Technical Assistance Center (TTAC). She serves on numerous boards and committees throughout New York State focused on early childhood mental health including a gubernatorial appointment to the NYS Early Childhood Advisory Council and as President of the Stella and Charles Guttman Foundation.
Recognizing the importance of early childhood mental health as a major foundation for all learning and development, a significant focus of her work has been on promoting the integration of early childhood mental health in education, primary care and all child serving systems, building the capacities of those working with infants and young children through training and technical assistance and promoting policies to support this work.
Eboné Carrington, MPA, HPAM
Managing Director, Manatt Health, former CEO, Harlem Hospital
Eboné Carrington is a managing director with Manatt Health, an interdisciplinary policy and business advisory practice of Manatt. Based in New York, Eboné is a distinguished health and business executive who draws on her extensive leadership experience with complex health care organizations to advise clients on successfully operationalizing groundbreaking care delivery strategies as they continue to evolve in line with the broader industry’s transformation.
Before joining Manatt, Eboné was the Chief Executive Officer of NYC Health + Hospitals/Harlem, where she led initiatives to improve revenue performance, bolster patient experience metrics, reduce the patient readmission rate by 10 percent and eliminate a $40 million budget deficit. In recognition of these many achievements, both she and the hospital received multiple awards and honors throughout the years. In an effort to further modernize Harlem Hospital, Eboné redesigned and reorganized systems to further advance change management strategies and championed an internal cultural transformation to help the hospital become a high-reliability organization. Additionally, Eboné led the public health system’s response to COVID-19, directing all aspects of pre-, intra- and post-COVID-19 inpatient, outpatient and emergency department COVID-19-related patient care.
Maria Fuentes, FPA-C
Family Peer Support Training Specialist, NYU McSilver
Maria Gabriela Fuentes has been a Credentialed Family Peer Advocate since 2019. At NYU McSilver, she works as a Family Peer Support Training Specialist in support of the PeerTAC project. In this role, Maria develops online and in-person training and technical assistance programming, with a particular focus on integrating family voices across project activities.
Maria holds an Associate Degree in Social Work and is currently pursuing an Associate in Criminal Justice at Eastern Gateway Community College. Previously she has worked for the Jewish Board’s Prevention and Intervention Program as a Family Advocate/Case Manager for a school-based mental health program active in five New York City public schools, and she has volunteered for NAMI-NYC and NAMI Queens/Nassau since 2013.
Dr. Lena Green
Executive Director, H.O.P.E. Center
Dr. Lena L. Green is a clinical social worker, psychotherapist and fatherhood practitioner. She is the Executive Director of the H.O.P.E. (Healing On Purpose and Evolving) Center at Harlem’s First Corinthian Baptist Church. In her more than 20 years of direct practice and management experience as a clinician, professor and administrator, Dr. Green has had a tremendous impact on countless New Yorkers. She is skilled in various areas of mental health, program planning, development, clinical supervision and building strategic partnerships.
Dr. Green received the National Association of Social Workers, New York City Chapter’s (NASW-NYC) Social Work I.M.P.A.C.T. Award in 2019. The award, which is the chapter’s highest honor, is presented to a social worker who “exemplifies the commitment to social justice, equity, empowerment, and civil rights, through their work, research, advocacy, practice, embodiment of the social work profession, and their dedication to the communities and individuals they serve.” In 2015, she also received the chapter’s Mid-Career Leadership Award and was recently inducted into the Pi Pi Chapter of the Phi Alpha Social Work Honor Society.
Dr. Green holds both a doctorate and master’s degree in social work from NYU; a BA in psychology from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, post-master’s certificates in Advance Clinical Practice from Hunter College, and the Treatment of Alcohol and Drug Addicted Clients from NYU. Dr. Green serves on several boards and is an active member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.
Dr. Denise Leung
Child, Adolescent, and Adult Psychiatrist and Assistant Professor in Psychiatry at Columbia University Medical Center
Dr. Leung is a board-certified Child, Adolescent, and Adult Psychiatrist and an Assistant Professor in Psychiatry at Columbia University Medical Center. Dr. Leung specializes in the evaluation and treatment of children, adolescents, adults and their families using psychotherapeutic and psychopharmacological techniques. She has a particular expertise in the evaluation and treatment of children and families who are affected by chronic medical and psychiatric conditions. Her other areas of interest and expertise include: mood and anxiety disorders, transitions between life stages, and childhood and adult ADHD. She believes in a collaborative approach with patients and their families to achieve their treatment goals.
Onyx Walker
Youth Engagement Specialist, Families Together in New York State
Onyx Walker is a Queens born Brooklyn native. Growing up in Cypress Hills, East New York, he has spent 10 years organizing with and for young people at a local, state and a federal level on numerous different issues (Youth homelessness, school to prison pipeline, Know Your Rights) that disproportionately affect BIPOC communities. He found a desire to change after experiencing no tolerance policies in schools and experiencing homelessness in his younger adult years.
He remains committed to ensuring young people are empowered to tell their stories and follows the belief that the best experts are the ones who have been through it.