Local officials, business leaders celebrate partnership to provide mental health professionals with PPE

~ YMP Real Estate Management donates 5,000 KN95 masks to local Managing Entity ~

Watch video of event here.

HIALEAH, Fla. – Miami-Dade County’s efforts to support the mental well-being of residents received a major boost when Mayor Carlos A. Gimenez, Commissioner Esteban “Steve” Bovo, and John W. Newcomer, M.D., gathered at Citrus Health Network to receive a donation of 5,000 KN95 masks from local real estate executive Moshe Popack. The masks were donated to Thriving Mind | South Florida, the Managing Entity tasked with managing the mental health and substance abuse safety net system for Miami-Dade and Monroe counties.

“I want to thank Moshe Popack for his generosity,” said Mayor Gimenez. “May is National Mental Health Awareness Month, so this donation goes a long way to help our community meet the mental health care needs of the uninsured residents whom Managing Entities serve.”

The donated KN95 masks will greatly enhance the ability of mental health and substance abuse providers to treat patients dealing with the extraordinary challenges brought on by the COVID-19 crisis. In addition to receiving state funding, Managing Entities work to secure outside funding and resources to bolster the safety net system through grants and community partnerships like this one. This donation fills an important need for residential and in-person facilities that treat those in crisis, where personal protection equipment (PPE) is necessary to continue offering safe treatment.

“Access to effective services is always important, but the need for services has clearly persisted and even increased in several ways during this pandemic,” said Dr. Newcomer, President & CEO of Thriving Mind. “We would not be able to do this without community partnerships that include Miami Dade County, particularly our partnerships with the schools, law enforcement, and the courts, and of course, generous support from individuals like Mr. Moshe Popack.”

South Florida has been the site of Florida’s largest number of COVID-19 cases, and the need for mental health and substance abuse services has reflected that. In an effort to address this surge, local leaders have prioritized mental health and are encouraging partnerships like this one to help increase access to vital health care services.

“I want to thank Moshe Popack for his generous donation of five thousand KN95 masks to our front-line health professionals at Thriving Mind | South Florida amid the coronavirus pandemic. Due to social isolation and economic uncertainty, many in our community have felt the ominous impact of serious mental distress,” said Commissioner Bovo. “This is further exacerbated for some who were already facing mental health challenges in their everyday life. I am proud to join Mayor Gimenez in thanking Moshe for this donation to our health heroes as they assist those suffering from mental health conditions.”

Moshe Popack is a Miami Beach resident and Chairman & CEO of YMP Real Estate Management, a top real estate investment firm that spans five states and includes both residential and commercial properties. He and his wife, Yaffa, are active in a number of philanthropic endeavors in South Florida revolving around mental health initiatives, healthy nutrition, and food access for low-income families, as well as numerous Jewish community family and faith programs.

“I am pleased to provide some PPE assistance in the form of 5,000 KN95 masks for the safety of our front-line health care workers, particularly as they serve the needs of the behavioral health patient community,” Popack said. “I am grateful to both Mayor Gimenez and Commissioner Bovo for helping coordinate this donation to Thriving Mind | South Florida.”