DBHIDS Public Statement on COVID-19 and the Asian Community

March 30, 2020 COVID-19 is a national public health threat to all people of every community, regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, or language capability. There have been reports nationally of individuals of Asian descent being targets of harassment because the virus is believed to have originated in China. The mission of the Department […]

How to take care of your mental health during the corona virus outbreak

Phila.gov    March 22, 2020 Dr. Sosunmolu Shoyinka, Chief Medical Officer, City of Philadelphia Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual disAbility Services (DBHIDS) These are stressful and uncertain times. The evolving nature of the COVID-19 pandemic is very sudden and can be confusing. This may provoke anxiety for many people. Those with pre-existing anxiety and other mental health […]

Mental health and addiction services remain open in Philadelphia amid corona virus restrictions

Philly Voice    March 18, 2020 Mental health and addiction services are still available for people who need them as the Philadelphia region combats the coronavirus pandemic. But they are operating with some minor adjustments. Some clinicians and programs, including Alcoholics Anonymous, have moved their services online as they employ the social distancing practices encouraged by Pennsylvania Gov. Tom […]

Coming Home: Telling reentry stories through hip-hop and comedy

WHYY.org    November 15, 2019 Will Little walked on stage wearing an orange jumpsuit, hands held behind his back, head faced down. As he told his story of life in and out of prison, he unzipped, revealing another layer of clothes underneath the orange. “I did 10 years in the penitentiary. Anger, frustration, hurt, pain, guilt, then […]

Cedar Park: Library Hosts Discussion on Suicide Prevention in the LGBTQ+ Community

PhiladelphiaNeighborhoods.com    November 15, 2019 At the Walnut West branch of the Free Library, several stereotypes were addressed as a crowd of just over a dozen people gathered to discuss the importance of mental health issues in the LGBTQ community, including the increased risk of suicide. The session promoted collaboration between those in attendance and the presenters. […]

Suicide Prevention Week on Good Day Philadelphia

Fox 29    September 20, 2019 DBHIDS’ Andrea October, Clinical Project Manager for Health Promotions, appeared on Fox 29’s “Good Day Philadelphia” during Suicide Prevention Week to discuss the importance of self-care for those “doing the counseling” in the wake of the widely reported suicide of Penn’s director of counseling. Click to view the report and interview.

Inside the North Philly basketball league for homeless men: ‘It helps me to realize who I really am’

Philadelphia Inquirer    August 23, 2019 This basketball game began with a bucket, right off the tipoff, and then a matching bucket, and another bucket. Finally, somebody missed. Every Wednesday this summer, in a little gym just off a courtyard in the back of the historic Church of the Advocate at Diamond and Gratz Streets in North […]

Joan Erney to Retire as CEO of CBH

DBHIDS    August 21, 2019 PHILADELPHIA — The Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual disAbility Services (DBHIDS) today announced that Joan Erney will retire as chief executive officer of its Community Behavioral Health (CBH) division effective ‪December 31, 2019. Behavioral Health Commissioner David T. Jones said CBH’s chief operating officer, Donna Bailey, has been named interim CEO […]

Philly courts hosted a job fair for the pre-trial population

Philadelphia Inquirer    July 23, 2019 It was an unconventional job fair. There were no splashy banners advertising companies, no branded swag, no suits. Just folks filling out paperwork on the benches of a Philadelphia courtroom Monday — sometimes with a drug test swab in their mouth — waiting for an interview where they’d hear about their […]

City program makes camp a possibility for youth with behavioral health challenges

Philadelphia Inquirer    July 17, 2019 Before 2016, Miguel Batiz spent countless summer days in his Holmesburg bedroom, using the computer, playing video games, and eating. Aside from trips with his mother and two younger siblings to ride bikes or visit nearby parks, he stayed home, nearly isolated. When the school year neared its end in 2016, […]