Ashwin Vasan

Getting tested is one of the best ways to protect yourself and your community against . Find a NYC Health + Hospitals testing site here:

COVID-19 Testing - Coronavirus 147th & Willis Avenue (Rapid antigen testing available) Corner of 147th & Willis Avenue Bronx, NY 10455 Dates: December 28 - 31 Tuesday - Thursday, 11:00 AM - 7:00 PM Friday, 9:00 AM - 2:00 PM Testing site is currently only testing people 4 years and older.

Wishing a Merry Christmas to all who celebrate!

I am deeply honored and humbled to join Mayor-elect Eric Adams' administration as Health Commissioner to help New Yorkers fight back against COVID-19, starting March 2022. In the interim, I look forward to partnering with Dr. Dave Chokshi as Senior Advisor for Public Health as we fight the immediate surge of COVID-19 cases due to the Omicron variant. Make no mistake: we will stop the spread of this virus. We will also deliver on the Mayor-elect's public health priorities by fixing our broken mental health system and ensuring equitable access to clean air, clean water, healthy food, and affordable healthcare.

I am also grateful to the staff, Board, Members and supporters of Fountain House. I am grateful to have led this incredible organization as we expanded our local and national reach, policy advocacy, and services for those most impacted by mental illness. Together, we have achieved amazing things at a time when the need for reforming our mental health system is critical. Fountain House is poised to meet these challenges, and has an important role to play in the public health of our city, our nation, and our world.

"Arkansas Children's Hospital sees 150% increase in mental health-related ER visits"

Our youth are suffering to an unprecedented degree. While the attn. raised by the recent U.S. Surgeon General report is crucial, it must be complemented by tangible change.

Arkansas Children's Hospital sees 150% increase in mental health-related ER visits Earlier this week, the United States Surgeon General announced a mental health crisis for our nation's youth, saying that there has been a 51 percent increase in emergency room visits for suspected su***de attempts in adolescent girls compared to 2019. Arkansas is nearly three times the national ave...

Mental health is a civil rights issue + unless we treat it as such, we will not see significant change in this space.

Unvaccinated people are filling hospital beds in Michigan + the healthcare workers who help them are facing burnout, stress + the knowledge that many of this could've been prevented.

Opinion | I’m an E.R. Doctor in Michigan, Where Unvaccinated People Are Filling Hospital Beds With every shift, I see the strain people sick with Covid-19 put on my hospital.

Mental health is a fundamental human right, full stop.

Thrilled to welcome Tracy L. Welsh to Fountain House as our new Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer!

Tracy brings a commitment to mental health, public health and serious mental illness, and decades of experience in organizational leadership, operations, legal programs, and finance, from fantastic national LGBTQ+ advocacy and program organizations like SAGE, and GMHC, civil rights organizations like HIV Law Project and NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc., along with NYC-based services orgs like JASA.

Welcome, Tracy!

Fountain House Welcomes Tracy L. Welsh as its New COO Fountain House, the national mental health nonprofit, is proud to announce Tracy L. Welsh as its new Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer.

Reminder: Economic security protects and improves mental health.

Once again for the people in the back: mental health is not a political football to be thrown around when it’s convenient.

Mental illness is the everyday reality for over 13 million people in this country + they deserve a full-court press.

Incredibly honored to serve on the transition team for Mayor-elect Eric Adams as co-chair of the Health Committee.

Together, we can build a better future by making sure all New Yorkers have the opportunity + access to live a healthy life.

Fountain House’s President and CEO Dr. Ashwin Vasan Appointed to Eric… Fountain House’s President and CEO Dr. Ashwin Vasan Appointed to Eric Adams’ Transition Team as Co-Chair of the Health Committee

Thanks Kevin Love for your tireless advocacy for mental health and especially at our alma mater UCLA!

NBA All-Star Kevin Love honored for mental health advocacy Five-time NBA All-Star Kevin Love is being honored by a Boston foundation for his work on and off the court to take the stigma out of mental health struggles

I learned almost everything I know about public health from watching leaders in the movement galvanize action. It's time we apply some of these lessons to mental health, a pandemic ignored for far too long.

Read more in my piece for this in Common Dreams:

Opinion | What the Global AIDS Crisis Can Teach Us About Our Approach to Mental Illness "The HIV/AIDS epidemic offers us countless lessons in how to effectively tackle a global crisis that had felt insurmountable. We must apply those lessons to other public health crises, particularly those rooted in stigma, like mental health."

This , please consider donating to Fountain House, our national nonprofit fighting for the rights & dignity of those living with serious mental illness.

Every gift given before midnight will be matched, up to $50,000!

Donate to Giving Tuesday 2021 Sustainable recovery from mental illness and social isolation takes a community. Fountain House members work together, accompanied by staff, to regain confidence, build social connections, learn new skills, and find greater independence, dignity, and hope for the future. Donate today!

Being a part of a community is a basic human need. This , support us as we ensure people living with mental illness are .

All gifts will be MATCHED up to $50,000! Give now:
https://give.fountainhouse.org/give/376803/ #!/donation/checkout?c_src=facebook

To have someone so high up in the military speak openly and honestly about their mental health is a sign of real progress in destigmatizing mental illness. We need more leaders to step up and do the same.

Major General Gregg Martin speaks on mental health, the military and living with bipolar disorder Major General Gregg Martin discusses his experience living with bipolar disorder and the importance of stopping the stigma.

From my family to yours, Happy Thanksgiving. 🦃

Feeling grateful to be spending the day at Fountain House, where Thanksgiving is such an important holiday to be with one another in loving & supportive community.

Good news: The FCC voted in favor of requiring a text option for 988, the new mental health crisis response hotline going live in summer 2022.

Making services more accessible in times of crisis is always a good idea.

New '988' su***de-prevention hotline must have a texting option, regulators say Phone companies have until July 2022 to implement the new su***de-prevention hotline number of 988 for both calling and texting.

Why people with mental illness are at higher risk of COVID Federal health officials have been urging adults with psychiatric conditions to get a booster shot to increase their COVID protection. It turns out being mentally ill puts you at higher risk.

Students at Rowan University are protesting for better mental health resources, just one example of a wider systemic failure in getting the proper resources and help to our nation's young people.

There is a new status quo + higher ed must respond accordingly.

Rowan University students rally for more mental health services following student death A student apparently died by su***de at the same four-story parking garage where another student died two years ago. Word of the death has spread among the 19,000-member student body.

First they came for Critical Race Theory, now they're coming for mental health and su***de prevention programs when we are literally in the midst of a national children's mental health emergency? Absurd doesn't begin to define this logic.

Beyond CRT: Protesting parents now targeting mental health and su***de prevention programs “I am concerned, because the people that stand to lose are the kids. And it does worry me that we could risk prioritizing what’s good for kids because of a misunderstanding.”

I can say 'mental health is health' day after day, week after week, but I know we won’t see real change unless this is understood as a public health and public policy challenge, and embraced at every level of government.

Discrimination is a direct risk to mental health, and the research proves it. One more reason why we need to focus our funding + resources for mental health on historically marginalized populations.

A study links facing discrimination at a young age with future mental health issues And the risks may be cumulative. UCLA researchers found that those who faced more incidents of discrimination had an even higher risk of future health problems.

We need to fundamentally reform the way we respond to mental health crises, and the majority of Americans agree that police should not be a primary part of that equation.

We must center mental health professionals + people with lived experience.

Most say police shouldn't be primary responders for mental health crises: NAMI poll A wide majority of Americans say mental health professionals, rather than law enforcement, should be the primary first responders to mental health crises, a

While it's positive to see that overall su***de deaths decreased in 2020, we can't ignore that it rose for historically marginalized groups: people of color.

Just one more way the pandemic has disproportionately affected POC across the board.

Overall su***de rates fell during COVID-19 but increased among young and people of color, study finds Despite surges in mental health issues like anxiety, depression and substance use disorders, a study found su***de deaths decreased during COVID.

We cannot change our mental health system without changing the community conditions and civic inclusion of people living w/ mental illness. To start, this means adequately enforcing the ADA for ppl w/ serious mental illness + enacting anti-discrimination legislation.

Tomorrow at 9:00 am ET is the last installation of the Mental Health in Transition series on mental health as public health. Join us!

Trinity Church Wall Street

Mental Health in Transition: Mental Health as Public Health Mental Health in Transition: Mental Health as Public Health

Congratulations are in order for New York City Mayor-elect, Eric Adams! Fountain House is excited to work with you to support people living with serious mental illness.

Let’s get to work.

Congratulations to our Partner Eric Adams, the New Mayor of New York… Congratulations to our Partner Eric Adams, the New Mayor of New York City

Today's the day, New York! This , reminder that it’s your duty to vote with our city’s most vulnerable in mind.

Make your voice heard.

NYC Votes Meet the candidates, how to cast your ballot, and why your vote matters.

The CDC added mental illness to the high-risk COVID list. While I'm glad to see them taking heed of the research, I can't help but think of the lives that could've been saved by doing it sooner. Hoping this sets a precedent for future pandemic response.

Vaccine eligibility for mood disorders underscores elevated covid risk The change will allow millions of people with mental health conditions to get booster shots.

Shams DaBaron (aka Da Homeless Hero) stopped by our OnRamps kiosk in Times Square!
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Our kiosk, run by Fountain House members and staff, is a safe space for people to do anything from enjoy complimentary coffee to get connected to housing services.⁣
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Shams has been a great housing awareness partner and joined us at our panel this morning! Head to the link in the comments to watch.

Too few of our political leaders are willing to take on the hard work of fixing the way this country treats and supports people living with serious mental illness.

Today is an auspicious day in Fountain House history, as I'm thrilled to announce that Meghna R. Desai (NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital), Alice Kim (Google), and Reginald D. Williams II (The Commonwealth Fund) have joined our Board.

When we approved our new strategy earlier this year, we knew that we were embarking on an ambitious and transformational journey, one that needed guidance from passionate and diverse experts in the field. Meghna, Alice, and Reggie bring just that.

We may have a long road ahead of us as we continue to fight for serious mental illness to be seen as the public health and social justice issue that it truly is, but I'm glad these folks are in it with us.

Let's get to work, together.

Fountain House launches into next phase of national plan with key new… Fountain House launches into next phase of national plan with key new Board appointees

We need to stop jailing people living with serious mental illness and focus our resources on prevention, sustainable recovery, and providing people w/ the resources they need to thrive in their communities.

The pediatric mental health care crisis is devastating. As a father, I can't imagine seeing my kid struggling so much and then not even being able to access care when they need it most.

We must increase capacity for pediatric hospital beds immediately.

Connecticut faces an ‘overwhelming’ coronavirus pandemic-induced crisis in pediatric mental health care. Here’s what experts say the legislature should do. Connecticut faces an ‘overwhelming’ pandemic-induced crisis in mental health care.

UNC cancelled classes amidst a campus-wide 'mental health crisis.'

Unfortunately, we are at the point where a few days off won't solve a long-ignored mental health crisis and 18 months of a global pandemic.

UNC cancels classes after reported su***de and attempt, citing ‘mental health crisis’ “We are in the middle of a mental health crisis, both on our campus and across our nation, and we are aware that college-aged students carry an increased risk of su***de,” said Chancellor Kevin M. Guskiewicz.