NAMI-NYC Launches "Wall Street Mental Health Collaborative"

NEW YORK, Feb. 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- NAMI-NYC (local affiliate of the National Alliance on Mental Illness) today announced the launch of the "NAMI-NYC WALL STREET MENTAL HEALTH COLLABORATIVE" — a first-of-its-kind program, designed exclusively for financial services providers that have made a public commitment to reduce stigma surrounding mental health challenges for employees, and the business and financial communities at-large. Deutsche Bank joins as the founding partner of the Collaborative, with CVC Advisors, Mizuho Securities USA, The Riverside Company, UBS and Värde Partners also committed as the inaugural financial cohorts in the year-long initiative.

Matt Kudish, executive director & Rachael Steimnitz, director of workplace mental health at NAMI-NYC said jointly: "When thinking about developing this program, we wanted to emphasize that mental health affects us all. While work can be a source of stress, it can also be an important part of recovery for people living with mental health challenges. The investment in the Collaborative allows us to not only support the mental health of employees at the participating firms but also create programs to support workforce development opportunities for people living with mental health challenges in the greater NYC community."

The three goals of the Collaborative to change the culture surrounding employee mental health are:

• Reduce stigma so that employees can show up as their full selves in the workplace;
• Increase social support so that employees feel psychologically safe sharing new ideas or asking for help when needed;
• Foster community engagement and build trust so that employees feel a deeper connection to each other, their employer, and create a sense of purpose and community.

Executive leadership statements about the Collaborative:
Christiana Riley, Member of the Management Board and Americas CEO, Deutsche Bank: "The direct and indirect impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health won't be addressed by maintaining the status quo. Returning to the office and re-engaging with our whole selves at work will only be possible by prioritizing mental wellbeing in the workplace, reducing the stigma around mental health topics and fostering better community engagement."

Jerry Rizzieri, President and CEO, Mizuho Securities USA: "Wall Street can play a prominent role in helping remove the stigma around mental health challenges. Mizuho is proud to stand with NAMI-NYC and other financial services firms during a time of increasing need for education, support, and advocacy."

Béla Szigethy, Co-CEO, The Riverside Company: "Beyond its threats to physical health, the pandemic has exacerbated mental health challenges that people around the world are facing. At Riverside, we are committed to the mental wellbeing of our entire team, and we're excited about all efforts that promote dialogue and assistance around this important topic."

Joe Azelby, Head of Real Estate & Private Markets, UBS Asset Management: "As the pandemic moves into its third year, it is important to recognize the continued impact on the state of mental health in the workplace. The NAMI-NYC Wall Street Mental Health Collaborative brings financial services firms together to help diminish the stigma and increase mental health awareness in our industry."

Marie Suesse, Senior Managing Director, Global Head of HR, Värde Partners: "At Värde we encourage our people to bring their whole selves to work and to create an inclusive culture that supports and accepts all challenges. We believe NAMI- NYC's mission will increase awareness and decrease the stigma around mental health issues in an industry that's long-prided itself on perfection."

In addition to networking opportunities to share learnings and enhance existing employee engagement activities, the Collaborative's mental health program offers its financial services partners:

• Five steering committee meetings — specifically for human resources, employee development teams, and other internal company mental health champions — to offer direct input and guide the Collaborative's actions and goals throughout the year;

• Two panels where employees from all companies will learn specific best practices related to bettering employee mental health within the financial services industry;

• Five remote training sessions — available to all employees — on a variety of topics related to workplace mental health.

Ahead of the Collaborative's launch, last month, NAMI-NYC hosted a special virtual panel for its partners, "Media Depictions of Mental Health in Financial Services" featuring television series co-creators, Mickey Down and Konrad Kay of HBO's fictionalized drama, "Industry" (set in the London world of investment banking.)

The NAMI-NYC WALL STREET MENTAL HEALTH COLLABORATIVE is part of the grassroots organization's continued expansion of Workplace Mental Health programs to help small to mid-sized companies and large corporations across various industries in New York City to develop, implement, and sustain mental health workplace strategies and employee well-being initiatives. Past and current partner companies engaged in NAMI-NYC's mental health programs include Alight, Bank of America, Deutsche Bank, FS Investments, HSBC Bank, Oberland, Publicis Health, PwC, Shutterstock, UBS, WarnerMedia/HBO. To learn more, visit, NAMI-NYC Workplace Mental Health.

ABOUT NATIONAL ALLIANCE ON MENTAL ILLNESS OF NEW YORK CITY (NAMI-NYC)
For 40 years, the National Alliance on Mental Illness of NYC has offered life-changing support, education, and advocacy programs to families and individuals affected by mental illness. NAMI-NYC's services are free of charge and accessible for anyone who needs them. For more information about NAMI-NYC and its programs and services, please visit naminyc.org.

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Media Contact: Adriana Douzos, 917-749-3977, [email protected]

SOURCE NAMI-NYC