CITY VIEWS: OPINIONS and ANALYSIS
Opinion: Coercion and Institutionalization Won’t Fix NY’s Mental Health Crisis
Harvey Rosenthal |
“We must reject policies that single out, scapegoat, and sweep away the rights of our neighbors with mental illness.”
Government
Mayor’s Budget Plan Cuts $615M from Homeless Services, as Subway Crackdown Intensifies
David Brand |
Service providers have urged the city to hire more workers to help move people more quickly out of shelter or public spaces and into permanent housing.
Podcasts
City Watch: Bottcher Urges City and State to Fund Treatment Beds to Address Mental Illness
David Brand |
“The failure that we’re experiencing is the result of decades of disinvestment of mental health services,” Manhattan Councilmember Erik Bottcher, who represents Greenwich Village, Chelsea and Hell’s Kitchen, said during an appearance on WBAI’s City Watch this week.
Government
How Will New York State’s Budget Address the Youth Mental Health Crisis?
Julian Roberts-Grmela |
Youth and advocates are optimistic, saying Gov. Kathy Hochul’s budget takes important steps to expand resources, but that more needs to be done to make up for years of ‘chronic underfunding’ across the system.
Podcasts
City Watch: Queens Councilmember on Increasing Access to Mental Healthcare
Jeanmarie Evelly |
“Access means a lot of different things, and language access is a huge part of it,” Councilmember Linda Lee, who now chairs the committee on mental health, told WBAI’s City Watch.
Health and Environment
Years After NY Medicaid Overhaul, Kids’ Access to Mental Health Care Still in Crisis: Report
Jeanmarie Evelly |
The state’s Medicaid redesign under former Gov. Andrew Cuomo included a plan to reform the program’s patchwork, under-resourced mental health care system for children. But nearly a decade later, advocates and experts say access to youth behavioral health services in New York has barely improved, and may have gotten worse.
CITY VIEWS: OPINIONS and ANALYSIS
Opinion: Addressing Mental Health Needs Will Help More NYers Get Back to Work
Eileen Torres |
‘The trauma and isolation of the pandemic has taken its toll. In The Bronx, we experienced disproportionately high numbers of COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, and deaths. Until the mental health needs of our participants are addressed, it is difficult—if not impossible—for them to secure and retain employment.’
Opinion
Opinion: I’m Writing This From Rikers Island. I Hope You Get the Help I Didn’t
Jiovani Sanchez |
‘I’m telling my story in the hope that fewer people like me, struggling with drug use and mental health issues, end up in here. I am writing to ask the New York State government to pass the Treatment Not Jail Act, which would mean people who get arrested because they really need help actually get treatment, and not jail.’
Opinion
Opinion: Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics Provide Essential Care to NY’s Underserved
Yaberci Perez-Cubillán |
‘The continued expansion and funding of CCBHCs is not guaranteed, despite bipartisan support, and the pandemic will continue to fuel mental health and addiction crises.’
Mapping the Future
After Outcry, NYC Opens Emergency Housing Vouchers to More Homeless New Yorkers
David Brand |
The city’s previous policy, which City Limits reported on last month, blocked adults approved for supportive housing—permanent apartments with on-site staff, typically reserved for people with mental illness—from even applying for the roughly 8,000 new rental subsidies.
