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2024 Annual Conference

Sunday, May 5 & Monday, May 6, 2024

More information coming soon.

Submit your presentation ideas!

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Governor Hochul Gives State of the State Speech

Governor Kathy Hochul delivered her 2024 State of the State, highlighting her budget and policy priorities for the upcoming year. That video can be found above.

We did a detailed response last week. Click here to read that now!

2024 Executive Budget Proposal Address

“For decades, our mental health system was deprioritized and defunded. Make no mistake: this is the defining challenge of our time.” - Governor Kathy Hochul.f

On Tuesday, Governor Hochul released her Executive Budget Proposal. As she forecasted in her State of State address, there are significant investments in youth behavioral health including school-based mental health clinic expansion, Teen Mental Health First Aid, Youth ACT Teams, loan forgiveness for children's mental health professionals, and more. Additionally, there are some very important reforms aimed at addressing discrimination of behavioral health by health insurance plans that would 1.) require commercial insurance to pay at least Medicaid APG rates for behavioral health, 2.) Rmp up enforcement of behavioral health parity by doubling fines for non-compliance and staff up enforcement agencies. And recently, proposed regulations were introduced that would improve network adequacy standards that require insurance to provide out-of-network coverage at no additional cost if they cannot provide appointments within 10 days. 

However, absent from her proposal is a $195M rate reform for home and community-based youth mental services or a 3.2% Cost of Living Adjustment for behavioral health providers, pledging only 1.5%. The governor is right- mental health is the defining challenge of our time and that's why we must urge her to go further by including these key investments that would alleviate waitlists and bolster the workforce.

Below are some highlights and to read the full report, check out Spencer-Carreau Consultings FY 2025 Executive Budget Proposal Report. See reactions from both the Campaign for Healthy Minds Healthy Kids and the Behavioral Health Advocates Coalition. 

• $45 million for youth mental health including school-based services and peer-to-peer counseling. 
• $53,289,000 for services and expenses related to home-based crisis intervention program for children 
• $9.6 million to create 12 new Youth Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) Teams – These additional youth teams will help address the needs of children who are at risk of needing, or returning homefrom, high end services.  
• $10,000,000 for services and expenses related to youth suicide prevention 
• $10,000,000 for services and expenses related to high fidelity wrap around services for children 
• $2.8 million invested annually to enhance Partial Hospitalization Program (PHP) children’s services rates by 25 percent and develop several new PHP programs. 
• $1.5 million annually to expand Project TEACH (Training and Education for the Advancement of Children’s Health) throughspecialized support for mental health and substance use treatment for individuals during pregnancy and postpartum. This funding will enhance provider education, consultation, and awareness of mental health and substance use resources for: therapists; lactation consultants; Women, Infant and Children (WIC) staff; home visiting nurses; and other frontline practitioners working directly with the perinatal population. 
• $4 million – Establish Loan Forgiveness Program for MentalHealth Clinicians Serving Children specifically for licensed mental health clinicians serving children and families in OMH and Office of Children and Family Services licensed settings. 
• $2 million will expand peer-to-peer supports, including Teen Mental Health First Aid and safe spaces outside of the home and school where youth can meet with peers, provide support to each other, and utilize established connections to professionals and trained adults to better address mental health and wellness challenges. 
• $187,000 to expand crisis intervention training 
• $1 million annually to increase training and specialized programs focusing on children with welfare system involvement. Funding will support two programs in Children’s Community Residences in each OMH region to support reunification with families and build networks to mental health services. 

However, absent from her proposal is a $195M rate reform for home and community-based youth mental services or a 3.2% Cost of Living Adjustment for behavioral health providers, pledging only 1.5%. The governor is right- mental health is the defining challenge of our time and that's why we must urge to go further.

See reactions from both the Campaign for Healthy Minds Healthy Kids and the Behavioral Health Advocates Coalition. 

Below are some highlights and to read the full report, check out Spencer-Carreau Consultings FY 2025 Executive Budget Proposal Report.

Family Empowerment Townhall Series

Registration Now Open!

Registration for our Family Empowerment Townhall series is now open! Here is the current schedule so far! Register today to receive more updates in the future!

Developmental Disabilities Townhall

2/29/24 at 1:00 P.M.

Mental Health Townhall

3/6/24 at 10:00 A.M.

Youth Justice Townhall

3/13/24 at 3:00 P.M.

Addiction & Recovery Townhall

TBD

Child Welfare Townhall

TBD

Education Townhall

TBD

Our Issues in the News

• NYPD plans to launch a school hotline for safety and mental health issues. Advocates are wary.
• North Syracuse Central School District joins nationwide lawsuit against social media corps
• NYC Mayor Adams launches Juvenile Justice Advisory Board as part of strategy to support young offenders
• ER Visits Tied to Mental Health More Common Among Girls, Older Kids
• Children today have less independence. Is that fueling a mental health crisis?

Image Credit: U-M Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Symposium

The Silent Struggle: Mental Health Reflection on Martin Luther King Jr. Day

By: FTNYS DEI Department

We remember and celebrate the Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King, Jr. every third Monday in January. He is most famous for ending the segregation of the United States as part of his Civil Rights legacy. Yet, despite how familiar most people are with this history, many people do not realize that MLK may have been fighting mental illness at the same time he transformed our nation!

From his childhood, MLK experienced many highs and lows. At 15, he skipped his first and fourth years of high school before enrolling at Morehouse College. In the same period, he attempted suicide twice after the death of his beloved grandmother. MLK suffered from severe depression as an adult. The prejudice faced by individuals with mental illness, a struggle persisting to this day, was particularly heightened during the 1950s and 1960s. Fearing that adversaries of the Civil Rights Movement might exploit any revelation of his depression to undermine him, MLK kept his episodes of depression guarded, confiding only in family, friends, and aides throughout his lifetime. The stigma that compelled MLK to keep his struggle with depression a secret continues to have a detrimental impact on millions of people across the United States. Discussing mental illness proves exceptionally challenging due to the unfavorable linkages with weakness, fallibility, and instability, especially for Black men. MLK grappled with these challenges during his lifetime, and they persist as ongoing issues within the Black American community today

In embracing MLK's insight that "It takes empathy, patience, and compassion to overcome anger, hatred, and resentment," we find resonance as he faced the emotional strain of enduring hatred and the relentless pursuit of justice, MLK's personal challenges underscore the profound connection between the pursuit of equity and its impact on mental health, echoing the very qualities he advocated for in overcoming such adversities.

MLK envisioned a dream rooted in the principles of equality and justice. His plan sought a world where everyone was respected and embraced. These enduring ideals resonate with our ongoing efforts in mental health.

According to reports from the U.S. Office of Minority Health, Black American adults are 20% more likely to disclose severe psychological distress compared to their white counterparts. Unfortunately, the mental health services currently accessible are not adequately meeting the needs of this community segment, as Black individuals are less inclined than White individuals to seek treatment and more prone to discontinuing treatment prematurely.

According to reports from the U.S. Office of Minority Health, Black American adults are reported to experience severe psychological distress 20% more frequently than their white counterparts. Unfortunately, the existing mental health services are not adequately addressing the needs of this community segment. Black individuals are less inclined than White individuals to seek treatment and more prone to discontinuing treatment prematurely.

Today, initiatives led by trailblazers like Dr. Sidney Hankerson and HOPE Center Harlem exemplify innovative approaches to addressing the mental health needs of Black men. These efforts aim to create more inclusive and culturally sensitive mental health support systems by recognizing and dismantling barriers to care.

Source:

https://www.cugmhp.org/five-on-friday-posts/what-martin-luther-king-jr-knew-but-never-said-2/

https://sidneyhankerson.com/

https://hopecenterharlem.org/

Parents, Caregivers, and Families: Your Voice Matters!

Survey: How Are Our Children and Families Doing, Really? Edition 3

Please take a few minutes to complete the 3rd and final edition of our "How Are Our Children and Families Doing Now?" survey. Input from families like yours is the most valuable resource we have. Your lived experiences are shared with SAMHSA and mental health and substance use prevention leaders. All families with children—of any age—living at home are invited. The survey will close on Tuesday, January 30th. Please take a few minutes to complete and share it with others before then. We thank you in advance for your time and input.