The Staten Island Mental Health Society's mission is to maintain an organization for citizen action to promote mental health, to achieve the prevention, improved care, and treatment of mental illness, and to work toward the amelioration of mental handicap, through education and understanding.

Description and/or History:
The Staten Island Mental Health Society provides direct mental health and related services to Staten Island children and adolescents (and their families) who are emotionally disturbed, developmentally delayed, neurologically impaired, dependent on drugs or alcohol, and/or economically disadvantaged, with the goals of helping the child and family raise the quality of their lives.

Last year, our 19 award-winning programs at 21 locations throughout the Island served more than 5,000 children. Our programs include clinical outpatient services in three locations; the Day Treatment Center, a school for children from first grade through high school who have emotional/behavioral disorders; after-school and summer programs for children with behavioral disorders; on-site school mental health counseling services; substance abuse prevention and treatment programs exclusively for adolescents and young adults; transition services in the areas of education, jobs, and living skills for young adults, ages 16 to 23 with emotional disorders; family support services; child abuse and neglect prevention services; evaluation, treatment and referral for children and adults with a variety of developmental and neurological disabilities; three Head Start Centers; Integrated Preschool Classrooms operated at two Head Start locations; and a city-licensed day care center. We also sponsor two volunteer programs for normally functioning children: The Children's Theatre Association and the School Reading Volunteer Program. In addition, we operate two thrift shops, staffed and managed by volunteers.

The Staten Island Mental Health Society was founded in 1953 by Dr. Richard M. Silberstein, Dr. Vernam T. Davis, and Dr. J. Wright.

Once the Society began to develop educational programs, it became apparent that the community required clinical services to deal with youngsters who already needed mental health services. A facility to deliver those services was also essential.

The SIMHS's first building, known as the Marshall Cottage, was loaned to us by the Society for Seamen's Children. The directors and small staff worked as volunteers. The SIMHS eventually purchased the building. It is still in use, having been enlarged and modernized, as our Elizabeth W. Pouch Center for Special People division, across the path from the Chait Memorial Center, built in 1980, which is the Society's headquarters.

Over the years, as the population of Staten Island has grown, with concomitant growth in the need for mental health and related services, so the Society's programs, staff and prestige have increased. Statistically, only one-third of young people who need mental health services are able to obtain them, which makes our motto even more relevant: "We're here when you need us."

Contact person: Frances Hogan, Director, Community Relations, (718) 442-2225, (email)

Address:

669 Castleton Avenue Staten Island, NY 10301 (See a map)