Vibrant collaborates with influencers, musicians, and other content creators to share messages that help is available and hope and healing are happening every day.
Music is a powerful tool for strengthening our emotional health. Music helps us feel less alone and more understood. Everyone can relate to a time when a song tapped into something they were feeling, but couldn’t express themselves. So many people we know have said that they didn’t know where they’d be without music. That’s why we founded Sounds of Saving -- a nonprofit organization focused on creating a bridge between music and mental health.
Sounds of Saving works with musicians willing to share how music has helped them through difficult times, and who will use their platform to promote opening up and seeking help during emotional health challenges. These relatable stories about overcoming hopelessness from artists and musicians we admire can help decrease suicide attempts and normalize conversations about emotional wellness.
We partnered with Vibrant and the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline to create a special series of cover songs and interviews for National Suicide Prevention Month. This series reveals how artists have managed to cope and even thrive in the face of emotional crisis, all with the goal of reducing stigma and encouraging people to seek help. Since this project launched, we’ve continued to work together. By partnering with the Lifeline through Vibrant, we reached many more people across the country--to the urban, the rural, the old and young, across all races, ethnicities, genders and religions. Sounds of Saving wants to reach people regardless of who they are or where they are. We couldn’t think of a more impactful behavioral health organization to align ourselves with than Vibrant.
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When the pandemic began, NYC Well, New York City's flagship go-to-resource for confidential mental health support, crisis intervention, and connection to services, had just five days to shift more than 100 crisis counselors to remote work, all while continuing to provide this lifesaving service. Katherine Polanco, Operations Manager for NYC Well, tells us how she and the counselors adapted to meet the needs of her staff, and the people they serve, practically overnight.
March 2020 was the beginning of the pandemic and New York City was at the epicenter of the global crisis. There was so much fear on the streets, in homes and across offices. No one knew what was coming and what impact it would have on all our lives. This was the backdrop NYC Well operated under in the early days of the pandemic. As New York City’s free, comprehensive crisis and support line administered by Vibrant, we knew we had to move our team to an all-virtual work environment, and it had to happen fast. We couldn’t afford to not deliver our essential services.
Over the course of just five head-spinning days in mid-March, our IT and HR departments worked around the clock preparing to transition our 100 hotline counselors into a remote workforce. This included procuring and setting up hundreds of additional headsets, computer monitors, and laptops. Our counselors remained committed to meeting the growing needs of New Yorkers, taking calls from the office until they received the necessary supplies to work remotely. And in a city where most people don’t have cars, they had to be creative to transport their devices home. I’ll never forget watching several of them pack a laptop into a backpack, a computer monitor in one hand, as they headed out the door to the subway. Their commitment ensured the hotline could respond to the spike in call volume caused by the threat of COVID-19.
As the pandemic continues, so too does the overwhelming need for NYC Well’s emotional health services. We have responded by tripling our staff, from 100 to more than 200 crisis counselors. Being able to meet the increased demand for our services has been gratifying. Our counselors are providing support to New Yorkers in emotional distress and helping people find the resources they need. This has never been more important than during this time. The counselors are the mental health heroes of this pandemic.
While this has been an intense and challenging chapter for everyone. I am proud of how our team adapted, without interrupting the support we provide to New Yorkers. We have demonstrated what we always say -- that NYC Well is here for you, no matter the time of day or the crisis you are facing. We show up for you and we give you our all.
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