Mental Health Awareness Month Spotlight
Meet Anitia Maddox: Behavioral Health Apprentice and Brooklyn PACT Resident
May is Mental Health Awareness Month. This year’s theme is “Turn Awareness into Action,” which encourages awareness about mental health issues, as well as taking action to support and advocate for change. This year, The NYCHA Journal spotlights a community member who is training to support fellow NYCHA residents through a pioneering apprenticeship designed to bridge gaps in care and make behavioral health services more accessible.
When the flyer for the new Behavioral Health Community Health Worker apprenticeship from the NYC Mayor’s Office of Community Mental Health (OCMH) landed in Anitia Maddox’s inbox late last year, she immediately saw a chance to deepen her lifelong commitment to serving others and apply the knowledge and experience she gained from participating in the NYCHA Health Corps program.
By early 2025, she was part of the first cohort in the first nationally registered community health worker (CHW) apprenticeship with a focus on behavioral health. The new program was developed by OCMH in collaboration with Hostos Community College, the Healthcare Career Advancement Program, and nonprofit health and human services organizations. Apprentices complete classes at Hostos and gain on-the-job training with non-profits providing health and mental services.
“Building and strengthening the behavioral health workforce is one of the core strategic priorities for the NYC Mayor’s Office of Community Mental Health — many New Yorkers are in need of mental health and substance abuse treatment services, and in order to provide them, we need a robust, diverse, and highly skilled workforce,” said Heather Day, the OCMH Director overseeing community and workforce initiatives. “Apprenticeship is a unique way to achieve these goals because it blends paid work experience with classroom training, enabling passionate New Yorkers to pursue their education and career goals at the same time. OCMH selected ‘Behavioral Health Community Health Worker’ as the apprenticeship occupation because there is a fast-growing job market for CHWs in NYC. Additionally, our office conducted a Listening and Feedback Tour to hear from CHWs and Peer Support Workers directly – and many elevated the importance of building a behavioral health skillset to best engage and support community members. We are thrilled to now have this initial apprenticeship cohort reaching apprentices, community-based organizations, and community members citywide.”
Ms. Maddox, a Brooklyn PACT resident, was excited to take this next step in her career. “I’ve always wanted to be in health care, in any way where someone needed help,” she said. “Whether it’s helping them get health insurance, food from a pantry, or support managing a chronic illness, I want to meet people where they are.”
Ms. Maddox began classes at Hostos in February on public health and interpersonal communications; she is currently in a behavioral health class, learning about substance abuse and mental health.
In March, she began her fieldwork at RiseBoro Community Partnership in Brooklyn. Her work there reflects the program’s vision: bridging the gap between systems and residents by connecting individuals to essential services. She meets with clients one-on-one, developing individualized health action plans and helping them access everything from preventative health screenings to food assistance, job training, and mental health support.
Ms. Maddox’s supervisor Julia Baldwin, RiseBoro’s Assistant Program Manager for Health, said she is doing an incredible job at RiseBoro: “For her apprenticeship, she is working with other CHWs to provide free enrichment activities and services for NYCHA residents. In addition to performing outreach and hosting the activities, the CHWs check in with clients regularly and refer them to any services they may need help with, including behavioral health services. Anitia is working with a few clients one-on-one and brings a wealth of knowledge. I am very impressed with her initiative and her dedication to the clients.”
This apprenticeship is the next step in Ms. Maddox’s journey, which builds on years of community health work. As a high school student, she was part of a nursing program and volunteered at a local nursing home. Later, she began working at McKinney Nursing and Rehabilitation in the social services department, an experience that changed her outlook and the direction of her career: “There I realized that health isn’t just physical health and that these individuals needed someone to advocate for them and help them get connected to the resources they needed.”
She credits her two terms in the NYCHA Health Corps with further preparing her for community health work; while a Corps Member, she worked on Healthy Start @ NYCHA, helping to connect expecting families to resources and support.
“Anitia’s passion for serving residents was apparent during her time with the NYCHA Health Corps program, where she encouraged those around her to give their all to the communities they served,” said Marco Vela, NYCHA Health Corps Program Coordinator. “Her success at this new program at the national vanguard of behavioral health workforce development comes as no surprise, as Anitia’s pursuit of excellence and desire to better the communities she serves is always at the forefront of her mind.”
While in the NYCHA Health Corps, Ms. Maddox completed a Mental Health First Aid class, which was eye opening and inspired her to explore further.
“Unfortunately, in some communities and cultures, taking care of your mental health is looked down upon,” Ms. Maddox said. “In some families people are told, ‘What happens in this house stays in this house.’ But younger generations are now seeing therapists and getting counseling. I want people to know it’s okay to talk to someone. There are resources. I’m working to combat that stigma and share how mental health issues can affect our reasoning and problem solving, how it influences relationships, life challenges, and can affect your overall wellbeing and quality of life.”
Her commitment is personal. Raised by a single mother who overcame major challenges, she sees opportunities that weren’t available to her family in the past. “I want to be that support for someone else. Living through those difficulties gave me the passion to help. There are so many resources now in 2025. I want people to know they exist and that they deserve to access them.”
Her apprenticeship ends in August, and while she’s not exactly sure where the work will lead her next, Ms. Maddox’s mission remains clear: “I want to help combat health disparities and health inequities in underserved communities. I want to advocate for people who feel like they have no voice. That’s where I feel I can make the most impact.”
For more information about the Behavioral Health Community Health Worker program, visit https://nyc-mentalhealth.medium.com/building-the-behavioral-health-workforce-through-apprenticeship-48914ed60c9d.
Want to find other ways to get involved or find support? Visit NYC’s Mental Health Awareness Month 2025 Action Guide to find valuable information, digital toolkits, and self-care tips.
Have a question or idea for NYCHA’s Resident Health Initiatives? Email health.initiatives@nycha.nyc.gov.
Need someone to talk to? Connect with someone who will listen and help 24/7. 988 is NYC’s connection to free, confidential crisis counseling, mental health and substance use support, information, and referrals. Visit 988 online or call or text 988 to connect with a counselor.
Featured photo caption: Anitia Maddox and a NYCHA resident at a baby shower event hosted by Healthy Start @ NYCHA.