hexagons blue and white

Informed Consent Information

Title of Research Study: New York City Neighborhood Wellness Survey

Principal Investigator:  Sasha A. Fleary, PhD, Associate Professor

New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (NYC Health Department) is collaborating with the CUNY School of Public Health and Health Policy (CUNY SPH) to learn how the mental and behavioral health of New Yorkers has been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The NYC Neighborhood Wellness Survey aims to identify the strengths and assets that enable resilience among NYC adults. Information obtained from this survey will help the NYC Health Department strengthen mental, behavioral health, and substance use systems by improving service delivery to better meet the public’s needs. You are being asked to participate in this research study because you are a New York City resident age 18 or older. You may want to participate to help the NYC Health Department continue to improve how they serve the community.

  • If you agree to participate, we will ask you to complete a survey about your experiences and behaviors related to the COVID-19-pandemic. The survey will take about 15 minutes to complete.

  • This study has no risk to your physical health. However, there is a small chance that you may feel uncomfortable answering some of the survey questions. If you do not wish to answer a question, you can skip it and go to the next question on the survey.

  • Because we will use your responses to help the NYC Health Department improve how they work with you and other community members, this study may benefit you and the community in that you and other community members may have a more helpful experience with the NYC Health Department.

  • If you consent to participate, we will collect and save your contact information in a separate place so that we can contact you for future studies. The information collected in the survey will not be linked to your contact information. We will combine the survey information from all participants in our report so that you cannot be identified.

  • Your participation is completely voluntary. Should you decide at any time during the study that you no longer wish to participate, you may withdraw your consent and discontinue your participation without penalty or loss of benefits. You may also choose not to participate in the study without penalty or loss of benefits.

  • If your household has been selected to participate in this study, you have received a $5 incentive to take the survey included in the initial invitation letter. You will receive an additional $20 after completing the survey.

Your participation in this research is voluntary.

If you have any questions, you can contact Sasha Fleary at 646-364-9675 or nycnws@sph.cuny.edu.

If you have any questions about your rights as a research participant or if you would like to talk to someone other than the researchers, you can contact CUNY Research Compliance Administrator at 646-664-8918 or HRPP@cuny.edu.