Editorial — Responding to the need: Hochul pledges money and resources for the mental health crisis | Opinion

“When it comes to keeping people safe and protecting their well-being, fixing New York’s mental health care system is essential, and long overdue. Even before COVID, rates of mental illness had been on the rise. And since the start of the pandemic, more than one in three New Yorkers have sought mental health care or know someone who has,” he said during his speech, according to a news release issued Jan. 11 by his office. “Many of them can’t understand it. The barriers are seemingly endless. No appointments available close to home. Insurance will not cover care. Long waits for psychiatric beds in hospitals. As a result, people have been forced to suffer in silence. The disease grows when left untreated. It is therefore not surprising that the number of people suffering from mental illness has continued to grow. We have underinvested in mental health care for so long and allowed the situation to become so dire that it also became a public safety crisis. New Yorkers are anxious on the subway and on our streets when they see people who seem to need help, people who cannot adequately care for themselves, people who could cause harm to others or themselves, people who are at risk of being victimized. I am declaring that the era of ignoring the needs of these individuals is over. Because our success as government leaders is measured by our ability to encourage and support all of our constituents. Today marks a shift in our state’s approach to mental health care. This is a monumental change to make sure no one is left behind. The most significant change since the deinstitutionalization era of the 1970s.”

Hochul then announced his plan for the state to invest more than $1 billion and implement policy changes “to finally and fully meet our state’s mental health needs.” He wants to add 1,000 inpatient psychiatric beds, fund 150 new beds at state facilities and bring 850 psychiatric hospital beds back into operation.

“We will also invest in services that allow patients to begin to reintegrate in a way that is safe for them and the community so that our inpatient beds are not filled because more suitable outpatient treatment options are not available,” Hochul said. “We know that supportive housing is a tool for both prevention and recovery. That is why my plan includes the construction of more than 3,500 residential units supported by intensive mental health services. And we’ll make sure that as patients transition from one type of treatment to another, no one is left behind. Our plan requires facilities to discharge high-risk patients to intensive wraparound services. And I will propose legislation that prohibits insurance companies from denying access to critical mental health services.”

Hochul proposed halving unmet mental health needs among children in five years. He also proposed helping people suffering from addiction, particularly to opioids, and reducing the supply of deadly street drug additives like xylazine and fentanyl.

“We will continue to expand access to technology that can detect deadly additives before they are used and can reverse overdoses,” he said. “And we will create a new interagency working group that will look at all possible solutions because we must face this crisis with the urgency it demands.”

The governor’s comments on how to address mental health issues drew praise from Democratic and Republican lawmakers, as well as health care representatives. It is commendable that you have chosen to focus on this concern and want to offer additional resources to meet people’s needs.

Of course, the devil will be in the details when it comes to turning Hochul’s plan into practical measures. He outlined his overall vision for tackling this issue, but provided few details on how it would be accomplished.

Will your goals make it easier for mental health professionals to more effectively deliver services to their clients? Or will this plan add to the bureaucratic hurdles that state agencies are known for imposing?

It will be essential for her and other state officials to interact broadly with those who work for organizations addressing mental health issues, particularly in rural areas like upstate New York. They are the ones who know what is missing and how to best meet your needs.

As with any social evil, the state will never solve the mental health crisis. There will always be too few beds, clinics and providers to eradicate the problem.

However, focusing more intensely on the mental health needs of New Yorkers can make a difference for many. We still need to see details about how the money will be allocated and what policies will be enacted.

But we applaud Hochul for starting a conversation about this. And we urge state legislators, city officials, and health professionals across the state to help in any way they can to bring about the changes needed to improve people’s mental health.