RESOLUTION
BY COUNCIL PRESIDENT COLLINS-BELLAMY, MAJORITY LEADER RUBBO, MAJORITY WHIP ROBINSON, MINORITY LEADER BREEN, COUNCILMEMBERS, PINEDA-ISAAC, DIAZ AND MERANTE:
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RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF YONKERS DECLARING THE MONTH OF MAY 2025 "MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS MONTH."
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WHEREAS, the mental health and well being of people in the City of Yonkers is a vital issue that affects not only the quality of life, but also the health of communities, families, and economic stability; and
WHEREAS, approximately one in five adults in the nation (52.9 million persons in 2020), experience a diagnosable mental health condition such as depression, anxiety bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, or post-traumatic stress disorder, in a given year; and
WHEREAS, for approximately one in 25 adults in the nation, a serious mental illness dramatically affects the person's ability to perform major life activities; and
WHEREAS, persons with serious mental illness face an increased risk of having chronic medical conditions and, on average, die 25 years earlier than others due largely to treatable medical conditions; and
WHEREAS, an estimated 26% of homeless adults in the nation who stay in shelters live with serious mental illness, and a little more than 50% of adults who experience a substance use disorder also have a concurring mental illness; and
WHEREAS, approximately one in five youths 13 to 18 years of age, experience a severe mental disorder at some point in their life and, for children eight to fifteen years of age, the estimate is that 13 % will experience a severe mental disorder, and
WHEREAS, the prevalence of serious mental illness is reported to be higher among woman than men; and
WHEREAS, mental illnesses, such as depression, are the third most common cause of hospitalization in the nation for persons 18 to 44 years of age; and
WHEREAS, despite the widespread existence of mental illness there is nonetheless a stigma attached to the illness; and
WHEREAS, tre...
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