(The Center Square) — New York Gov. Kathy Hochul wants to spend $1 billion to overhaul the state’s beleaguered mental health system by creating more beds and expanding services.
The plan, included in Hochul’s $228 billion preliminary budget proposal, calls for creating 1,000 new beds for inpatient psychiatric treatment, 3,500 new housing units, and spending $10 million to expand mental health care programs in schools.
Hochul said the proposal would be the largest overhaul of the system in decades, and would “drastically” reduce the number of people with unmet mental health needs.
“It starts with getting more patient beds, more psychiatric beds back online,” the Democrat said in remarks at an event Thursday. “Because right now we have 3,200 New Yorkers struggling with mental illness or addiction who are living on our streets and in the subways.”
The Democrat said the state has under invested in mental healthcare, which has allowed the situation to “become so dire, that it has become a public safety crisis.”
“This proposal marks a monumental shift to make sure no one falls through the cracks and to finally and fully meet the mental health needs of all New Yorkers,” she said.
A majority of the funding, or about $900 million, would be devoted to building more residential housing for people with mental illnesses over the next five years, according to the Hochul administration. The remainder would be spent on operating expenses of at least $130 million a year, the officials said.
Recent studies support claims that mental health issues are growing — even as the COVID-19 pandemic subsides — especially among young people.
Lockdowns, business and school closings and restrictions on social gatherings to prevent the spread of the virus, coupled with a lack of access to in-person services, exacerbated a mental health treatment gap, medical experts say. Low income communities and minorities have been disproportionately affected, Hochul said.
“There’s been a 40% increase in the last few years of teens reporting sadness and depression,” she said in Thursday’s remarks. “A lot of them have anxiety. They need these services.”
Last year, a coalition of groups including the American Academy of Pediatrics issued a warning that the youth mental health crisis is a “national emergency.”
Meanwhile, a shortage of staffing and beds in mental health units means adults and children end up “boarding” in emergency rooms while waiting for services.
Reaction to Hochul’s proposal has been mixed, with hospital groups praising the state’s proposed spending to create new beds, and others criticizing the plan for being too reliant on institutionalized care.
Cal Hedigan, C.E.O. of Community Access, a nonprofit that provides housing and mental health services, welcomed Hochul’s pitch to expand investment in outpatient services and insurance coverage, but criticized her plan for not devoting enough funding to permanent housing for people dealing with mental health issues.
“New York State’s goal should be to increase voluntary treatment that upholds the rights and dignity of New Yorkers living with mental health concerns or experiencing mental health crises, and to provide accessible options within community-based settings,” she said. “Inpatient care is too-often coercive and traumatic for those who are relegated to locked wards.”
