Statewide, youth suicide is among the leading causes of injury-related deaths among children ages 10 to 14, according to the state Department of Health.<\/p>\n
![\"McMahon](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/6ONGOBKN7BHK7FUUYD2IYKUS2U.jpeg\")
Richmond County District Attorney Michael McMahon speaks of the dire need for rapid access to mental health care for youth and adolescents on Staten Island. He speaks during a ribbon cutting ceremony at Northwell Staten Island University Hospital’s LINK program mental health facility. (Advance\/SILive.com | Ann Marie Barron)(Advance\/SILive.com | Ann Marie Barron)Frustrating battle for families<\/p>\n
Families searching for mental health care on Staten Island take on a confusing and frustrating battle, said Dr. Rashi Aggarwal, head of psychiatry and behavioral science at the hospital. <\/p>\n
\u201cOn the clinical side, what we see, again and again, is not just families struggling to find care, they\u2019re struggling to navigate care,\u2019’ she said. \u201dNot only are there long waits and fragmented systems, but after finally getting an appointment, your\u2019e told your child needs a different kind of care.\u201d<\/p>\n
By streamlining access and shortening the time between referral and treatment, the LINK program will close critical gaps in the current behavioral health system, she said.<\/p>\n
Dr. John Young, senior vice president for behavioral health at Northwell, said one thing he often wakes up and goes to sleep worrying about is the fact that 18% of our children have seriously considered suicide in the past 12 months.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s true in the country, that\u2019s true in New York and that\u2019s true in Northwell\u2019s geography, and it\u2019s right here on Staten Island,\u2019’ he said, noting that half of the people who need care don\u2019t get it. \u201dWe have real issues of quality, we have real issues of access and we have real issues of fragmentation.\u201c<\/p>\n
LINK is a powerful, yet simple approach to addressing all of these things, he said, by \u201ctrying to build a cohesive continuum of care for children and adolescents.\u201d<\/p>\n
McMahon said the hospital\u2019s focus on mental health was important to him personally, as his family is affected by mental health issues. \u201cIn our family, mental health is very real,\u2019’ he said. \u201dMy family, like most of the families in our country, our state and our city, (is) affected by mental health issues.”<\/p>\n
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Meagan Sills, president of Northwell Staten Island University Hospital, addresses those gathered Thursday for a ribbon cutting at the hospital’s new LINK program, which provides children and adolescents with rapid access to mental health care. (Advance\/SILive.com |Ann Marie Barron)(Advance\/SILive.com |Ann Marie Barron)<\/p>\n