Press Release: The Child Center of NY and Steven & Alexandra Cohen Foundation Open Cohen Family Wellness Center
12 April 2023
Queens facility fills critical gap in services for young New Yorkers with severe mental health challenges
NEW YORK—The Child Center of NY (TCCNY) and the Steven & Alexandra Cohen Foundation today marked the official opening of the Cohen Family Wellness Center, an innovative 10,000 square-foot facility in Woodside, Queens, offering multiple levels of mental health care for young New Yorkers with serious emotional disturbance and/or substance use disorders, and their families. The Cohen Family Wellness Center was funded by a $5 million contribution from the Steven & Alexandra Cohen Foundation and a $50,000 contribution from the Amazin’ Mets Foundation, which enabled the dramatic renovation and expansion of services available to this high-risk population.
TCCNY CEO Traci Donnelly was joined by Alex Cohen, New York State Office of Mental Health Commissioner Dr. Anne Sullivan, Queens Borough President Donovan Richards, Congresswoman Grace Meng, Assembly Members Jessica González-Rojas and Steven Raga, Council Member Julie Won, and community residents to cut the ribbon on the facility, which will dramatically increase behavioral health access for the city’s youth (ages 5-18) by offering:
- Alternatives to Residential Treatment (ART), which provides a holistic approach to youth services. By incorporating academic/vocational supports, therapeutic services, and high-quality care coordination, the programs offer youth an opportunity to succeed and remain home with their families;
- A Youth Intensive Outpatient (IOP) program open to the community in addition to the clients of The Child Center; and
- Comprehensive services—from benefits assistance and art therapy to counseling and medication management—for roughly 700 families each year.
“The Cohen Family Wellness Center is a place that promotes hope, growth, and empowerment for its residents—and our city’s children need a place exactly like it right now. The pandemic only exacerbated the struggles of young New Yorkers dealing with the most severe mental health challenges, and the Center is designed to fill that need,” said Traci Donnelly, CEO of The Child Center. “We are profoundly grateful to the Steven & Alexandra Cohen Foundation and the Amazin’ Mets Foundation for bringing us to this moment. Every young person who walks through these doors can know they are getting holistic, top-quality care—and that our goal is to prepare them to safely and productively live in the community, all with a continuum of care following them.”
“We are proud to be a partner of The Child Center of NY and support their new facility in Queens,” said Alex Cohen, President of the Steven & Alexandra Cohen Foundation and the Amazin’ Mets Foundation. “The new Cohen Family Wellness Center will provide important mental health care to the youth in our community and essential resources for children to build a healthy future.”
“Our youth face countless challenges today that undermine their mental health, but the high-quality services offered through the Cohen Family Wellness Center will make a tremendous difference in the lives of so many young people across Queens,” said Queens Borough President Donovan Richards Jr. “With the support of the Steven & Alexandra Cohen Foundation and the skilled professionals of The Child Center of NY, our kids with serious emotional and/or substance abuse problems have a modern, state-of-the-art facility they can go to for expert behavioral health treatment. Queens is sincerely grateful to all those who worked so hard to make the Cohen Family Wellness Center a reality.”
The Cohen Family Wellness Center is located at 43-08 52nd Street, Second Floor, Woodside, NY 11377. The Center is fully operational, and is expected to serve thousands of New Yorkers every year.
About The Child Center of NY:
Our mission is to strengthen children and families with skills, opportunities, and emotional support to build healthy, successful lives. Founded in 1953, The Child Center is a multiservice organization that annually reaches over 43,000 children and families each year, ranging from birth through adulthood, at almost 70 schools and community locations.
The Child Center works in six main program areas: early childhood education; behavioral health; residential treatment; prevention and family support; health homes and integrated care; and youth development. The Child Center is based primarily in Queens but also serves children and families in Brooklyn, the Bronx, and Manhattan, as well as Long Island. To learn more, please visit https://childcenterny.org/.
About the Steven & Alexandra Cohen Foundation:
The Steven & Alexandra Cohen Foundation is committed to inspiring philanthropy and community service by creating awareness, offering guidance, and leading by example to show the world what giving can do. The Foundation’s grants support nonprofit organizations based in the United States that either help people in need or solve complex problems. The Foundation also spearheads grassroots campaigns to encourage others to give. For more information, visit steveandalex.org.
