NYC NOW - September 24, 2024: Morning Headlines

Episode Date: September 24, 2024

Get up and get informed! Here's all the local news you need to start your day: New data shows New York City’s B-HEARD program routed nearly 15,000 mental health calls to social workers and EMTs in 2023 but responded to only 30% of calls in areas where it operates. Meanwhile, the city’s top health official, Ashwin Vasan, says he will step down by early next year. Plus, the MTA reports a 4.6% increase in bus fare payments in areas targeted by law enforcement in its latest crackdown on fare evasion.

Welcome to NYC Now. Your source for local news in and around New York City from WMYC. It's Tuesday, September 24th. Here's the morning headlines. I'm Jene Pierre. New York City routed nearly 15,000 mental health crisis calls to teams of social workers and EMTs last year rather than to the NYPD. The latest city data on the pilot program shows this alternative response is getting deployed more frequently,

even though the program's geographic expansion is on pause. But the program known as Be Heard is still only responding to about 30% of all mental health calls in the areas where it operates. At a city council hearing on Monday, city officials said BeHeard cannot respond to calls that include a threat of violence, but mental health advocates said the criteria is too narrow. New York City's top health official says he's leaving the role by early next year. WMYC's Caroline Lewis has more. Ashwin Vossin has served as health commissioner since 2022, overseeing the city's response to COVID-19, a major outbreak of the M-Pox virus, and mental health issues.

He's focused on youth mental health in particular, describing it as a crisis and declaring social media an official public health hazard. Vossin says he wants to spend more time with his family and will continue with clinical work and teaching. His departure comes amid ongoing probes into Mayor Adams' administration and 2021 campaign, although he hasn't been accused of wrongdoing in any of them. The MTA says its latest blitz to get more New York City bus riders to pay their fare is working, ever so slightly. Transit officials say are reporting a 4.6% bump in paid ridership on bus routes where

the agency has deployed enforcement agents to crack down on fare evaders. The agency launched the initiative last month after an MTA estimate found nearly half of all bus riders skipped the fare box during the first six months of the year. Interim president of New York City Transit, Demetrius Crishlow, says the guards remind people the bus isn't free. That is targeting the problem with the culture of fare evasion, because people, when these large forces are there in uniform, generally they do not try to avoid the fare.

The MTA says they have more than 200 members in their fare enforcement squad, called the Eagle Team and are continuing to hire more. It's 60 degrees overcast skies. It'll be partly sunny today with a high around 70. There's a slight chance of rain tonight. It'll be mostly cloudy with lows around 60. Thanks for listening. This is NYC now from WNYC.

Be sure to catch us every weekday, three times a day, for your top news headlines and occasional deep dives. And subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. See you this afternoon. Thank you.