Community Star of the Week: Northwell's Zucker-Hillside Hospital

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This year the New York Islanders are one of 17 NHL teams participating in the Hockey Talks Campaign, an important NHL initiative to raise awareness and help end the stigma around mental health. The goal of the initiative is to contribute to the dialogue of normalizing mental health issues and highlight local facilities who offer tremendous resources to help treat the wide-spectrum of mental-health conditions.
Dr. Howard Linder, the Medical Director of Zucker-Hillside Hospital, the main psychiatric hub for Northwell Health, can attest to the importance of addressing mental health issues - especially during the many stressors associated with the ongoing pandemic.

"There is a saying that there is no health without mental health," Dr. Linder said. "That's because mental health issues impact all aspects of our lives, including physical health. So, it is always important to keep possible mental health concerns in mind. But there is a stigma around it, and people may feel uncomfortable or embarrassed about being open about emotional distress. Therefore, it's often something that is kept under the rug, and that has to change."
It's been nearly a full-calendar year since the COVID-19 pandemic uprooted the daily norms of society and created it's catastrophic toll. A pronounced side effect of the pandemic that has derailed the daily norms of people's routines, employment status and social outlets has been a spike in mental-health related cases.
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"During the pandemic, there is heightened fear and anxiety about financial insecurity, serious illness, and death, especially in loved ones," Dr. Linder commented. "And then the isolation associated with social distancing and quarantining can lead to an overdose of media reports and social media postings. Sometimes information from these sources is not correct or sensationalized, which can then provoke greater stress and anxiety, and even depression. So that must be monitored and for some, limited."
"I think people are adapting," Dr. Linder added, "but it's a big concern for many, especially those with pre-existing psychiatric disorders or special vulnerabilities. At Zucker Hillside, we have seen an increase in referrals related to COVID in both our inpatient and outpatient services. And like other health systems, we have also seen an increase in stress, anxiety, and related symptoms in our frontline healthcare workers, who are struggling with encountering many more deaths and restrictions on family visits that create new workplace responsibilities. It's all irregular, and it takes its toll."
In addition to general psychiatry ambulatory programs, there are specialty outpatient sub-centers in college mental health, perinatal psychiatry, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), bipolar disorder, and early-onset psychosis. For those in need of short-term, more intensive outpatient care, Zucker Hillside also offers a partial hospital program, that for some bridges inpatient and outpatient services. Patients receive individual and group-based care for several hours a day and then return home. And for those with substance use disorders, Zucker Hillside runs five licensed programs both on-campus and in community settings.
For those patients requiring acute, inpatient psychiatry care, Zucker Hillside operates 226 beds in ten discrete units that include specialty settings for adolescents, geriatric patients, women especially with a perinatal focus, and young adult/college students. This latter 'college unit' anchors Northwell's unique Behavioral Health College Partnership with nearly one hundred regional partner colleges and universities.

In addition to these diverse services and programs, Dr. Linder also highlighted that "we offer adult and pediatric crisis centers directly on-campus. As opposed to visiting the emergency room, patients with urgent psychiatric needs can simply walk in to one of our crisis centers and obtain an immediate mental health assessment." He further explained that treatments can be initiated, and care can be bridged until engagement with the next level of care. Help is also offered to navigate the sometimes-confusing community mental health system by pointing people in the right direction. People can also call our intake number where they can speak directly with social workers who can better advise or guide them as to what steps or programs might be best."
While the pandemic continues to surge, society has yet to return back to 'normal. 'Dr. Linder stressed the importance of creating some healthy habits that promote mental health wellness. Whether it's creating a routine even while working from home, ensuring to get some fresh air every day, limiting screen time and social media consumption, connecting with friends and family or even just finding a reason to smile every day, it's important to instill healthy habits to maintain a healthy state of mind.
"The concept of Behavioral Health includes both cultivating a sense of well-being and recognizing, diagnosing and treating psychiatric and substance use disorders," Dr. Linder concluded. "Whether building strengths or treating disorders, all approaches need to appreciate the individual needs of each human being. Everyone has their own story, everyone has a different perspective, and everyone's circumstance is different. Some may struggle with and even be incapacitated by low levels of anxiety and depression, whereas others may tolerate severe symptoms and still function effectively at home and work. Stigma around such problems often delays help, which is unfortunate because mental health conditions are as treatable as any other medical illnesses. The pandemic has made everybody recognize that we are all vulnerable. Zucker Hillside Hospital has the expert programs and compassionate professionals to get you through those difficult times that all families face at some point. Help is available here."
For more information on Zucker-Hillside Hospital and all of the incredible resources they offer visit
https://zucker.northwell.edu/
.