New York’s Staten Island It is appropriate that a company dedicated to addressing the most severe health issues facing Staten Island has a leader who honed her abilities during one of the most trying medical emergencies in recent history—the COVID-19 pandemic.
The new executive director in 2024 was Ericker Onaga, who joined Community Health Action of Staten Island (CHASI) during the pandemic and assisted the organization in serving during the crisis.
After 32 years of devoted service to the organization, Diane Arneth retired, and she accepted the position.
The executive director of CHASI must be a trusted leader and spokesperson for the communities we serve on Staten Island. According to Arneth, who retired in January 2024.
Since its founding as the Staten Island AIDS Task Force in the 1980s, CHASI has broadened its scope to include addressing important community needs such as violence, chronic illnesses, food insecurity, mental health, and substance abuse.
In 2018, CHASI became a part of Sun River Health, which is now its parent company. Sun River Health is a network of community health centers that spans the Hudson Valley, New York City, and Long Island.
With a master’s degree in social work from New York University and a New York state licensure as a clinical social worker, Onaga said, “As a social worker, I value the one-to-one engagement, about making sure the person feels valued, heard, and supported.”
Staten Island, a borough facing major public health issues, greatly benefits from the leadership of CHASI and other social care networks.
With 38.0 overdose deaths per 100,000 residents in 2022, the borough has the second-highest overdose death rate out of the five boroughs in New York City.Thousands of people on Staten Island are impacted by food insecurity and the health issues associated with inadequate nutrition, especially on the North Shore, where there are fewer grocery stores and fewer people who possess cars, making the problem worse. Chronic conditions including diabetes, heart disease, and cancer continue to be common in the interim.
How the COVID-19 pandemic shaped Onaga s leadership
After joining CHASI in 2020, Onaga led the organization through the COVID-19 pandemic’s obstacles as its chief program officer for three years.
Onaga reflected on the necessity of pivoting systems at the time to retain meaningful and effective relationships with the community, saying, “I joined at a time when everything was changing.”
In addition to expanding its food programs and benefits help, CHASI maintained its 24/7 rehabilitation center during the COVID-19 lockdown.
Nonetheless, the pandemic contributed to a worsening of the mental health problem, a rise in drug overdose deaths, and an increase in homelessness throughout the city.
The deleterious effects of extended estrangement are now evident. According to Onaga, isolation exacerbated mental health issues and further weakened individuals. We witnessed rising HIV rates, a rise in domestic violence, and people delaying necessary medical care.
“CHASI was able to re-engage when the world became safer, benefitting from the powerful lessons learned, one of which being the true value of face-to-face connections,” she continued.
With the launch of the Vaccine Equity and Engagement Program in 2022, CHASI began to prioritize low-vaccination hard-hit areas in NYCHA housing. By disseminating trustworthy health information, the program helped close the gap between residents and preventive COVID-19 care by hiring vaccinated NYCHA housing members to work every day.
Resistance was frequently rooted in legitimate mistrust, especially in health systems. Onaga recalled that it resolved itself when we allowed it to happen via constancy and straightforward communication. Establishing confidence gradually is essential. Every block has people in need of something but unsure of where to begin. We carried it to the door and continued to arrive.
Five NYCHA facilities throughout the borough still run the program, and staff members have partnered to continue disseminating trustworthy health information and putting people in touch with community-based groups, benefits, and testing for chronic diseases.
According to Onaga, this healthcare advocacy began during COVID, when it encouraged individuals and gave them information on vaccinations. With the program, it went much farther and now includes general healthcare in the NYCHA apartments.
CHASI reports that the City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene’s financing for this program will expire in March.
CHASI s domestic violence services expected to expand in 2025
With a comprehensive, trauma-informed approach, CHASI’s current violence intervention programs assist survivors of trauma and domestic and familial violence.
Individual and group counseling, crisis and case management, sexual health education, and therapeutic arts including creative writing and dance therapy are among the services offered. According to their website, all domestic violence services are free of cost and offered in both Spanish and English.
Additionally, through the domestic violence shelter network and the Staten Island Family Justice Center, CHASI links survivors to housing and legal services.
We have no idea who is dealing with anything unfamiliar and challenging. According to Onaga, we set presumptions aside since nobody wants to feel singled out. Part of it is to introduce the program we’re calling CHASI’s Core Connections. To identify requirements that are too frequently overlooked when an immediate need takes individuals to our doors, we are use universal tests and questionnaires.
Onaga underlined that after a survivor finds safe refuge from domestic abuse, the effort doesn’t stop.
We stay in touch with you and can help you with HIV testing, health care coordination, or pantry food. The ability to connect with a vital safety net before a crisis arises or when something is just starting to interfere with a person’s life or health is exhilarating, she added.
HIV prevention was first incorporated into CHASI’s domestic violence program a few years ago. This program changed the way they targeted their audience by focusing on overlapping factors like mental health and substance use disorder, making sure that every client enrolled was screened for these conditions. This was necessary because, according to CHASI, Staten Island has a high rate of late HIV diagnosis compared to other parts of the city.
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