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CLMHD Holds Fall Full Membership Meeting in Lake Placid
Membership Meeting October 21–23, 2026, in Lake Placid, bringing together Directors of Community Services (DCSs) from across the State to advance shared priorities and address emerging challenges facing local mental hygiene systems.
The meeting marked Michael Orth’s first Full Membership Meeting as Chair. Through his leadership, Michael has emphasized the importance of fostering camaraderie among members, strengthening their collective voice, and reinforcing the shared purpose that unites DCSs across the State. His presentation on the history and evolution of the Conference highlighted how the DCS role has changed and expanded significantly over time in order to successfully adapt to an ever-changing policy, fiscal, and service delivery landscape.
Strategic planning was a central focus of the meeting, with an interactive session engaging members in identifying priorities and shaping the Conference’s next three-year strategic plan. Members also discussed the potential impacts of federal policy changes on local systems and the implications for counties, service providers, and the individuals and families they serve. The Conference welcomed new DCSs and recognized retiring members, honoring their years of leadership, dedication, and service to their communities.
The meeting concluded with a collaborative working session focused on health-led community behavioral health crisis response, during which members identified regional resources, service gaps, and technical assistance needs to inform local and statewide planning.
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Governor Hochul Announces $10 Million to Expand Behavioral Health Services Into Primary Care Settings
Governor Hochul on Tuesday announced that the State will receive $10 million in federal funding to ensure more primary care settings offer behavioral health services to support individuals with complex needs. Administered by the state Office of Mental Health, the Advancing Collaborative Care for Evidence-Based, Sustainable Systems or ‘ACCESS-NY’ initiative will expand the Collaborative Care model at eight new federally qualified health centers and rural health clinics statewide. “All too often, New Yorkers who experience physical health issues are also in need of behavioral health care,” Governor Hochul said. “The funding through this initiative will help more providers integrate these services into primary care settings and eliminate some of the barriers New Yorkers encounter in the less-populated areas of our state.” Read more here.
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As Third Places Disappear, NYC Teens Claim a Fifth Avenue Library as Their Own
Billy Parrott carries with him a printed copy of an article almost everywhere he goes. It tells the story of how a librarian at New York City’s Mid-Manhattan Library helped a young Barack Obama connect with the organization that later hired him as a community organizer in Chicago — a pivotal part of his journey to the presidency. For Parrott, it’s a physical reminder of how meaningful his work is. “That’s the power of libraries. We’ll hear about it next week when the person gets a job, and sometimes we’ll hear about it in 20 years when the person changes the world,” said Parrott, director of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library (SNFL) in New York City. As young people in Gen Z and Gen Alpha cope with mounting feelings of isolation, political division and over-dependence on screens, they’re also searching for “third places” – places outside of home and school – where they can connect and have social time free of the pressure in the rest of their lives. Read more here.
Related: Young Adults Are Building Safe Spaces for Unhoused Peers
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‘This Is the First Time I’ve Touched Grass’: Inside the U.S. College Campuses Pioneering Social Prescriptions
In 1984, while studying at Cornell University as a graduate student and going through a “difficult” time, Don Rakow remembers escaping to the campus gardens. “They were my sanctuaries—those gardens were essential for me to maintain balance and to survive,” he says. Thirty years later, that moment came back to the English-major-turned-plant-science professor, when he began teaching at Cornell. As Rakow and fellow faculty members discussed what it would take to respond to the growing mental health crisis among students today, he suggested an unlikely candidate: their campus, and all of the natural wonders on it. What if Rakow could help struggling students find relief through green spaces, just like he did when he was in their shoes? This experience led him to co-found NatureRx – one of the nation’s first dedicated programs designed to help students spend time engaging with nature as a way to improve their health. Read more here.
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Informed, Inspired, and Exhausted: Doomscrolling Negative Content and Well-being Among Young People Aged 13-24
88% of young people engage in doomscrolling and about half say the habit costs them more than an hour of sleep on the nights they engage with negative or upsetting content online. This national poll from Hopelab and Data for Progress, examines the impact of doomscrolling — continuing to watch or scroll through negative, upsetting, or stressful content on social media long after intending to stop — among young people aged 13 to 24. The poll explores how the habit affects sleep, mood, and young people’s sense of being informed and motivated to act, and identifies when and where young people doomscroll most. Meta’s recent child safety settlement with 47 states, the District of Columbia, and several U.S. territories requires overnight curfews, school-hour notification limits, and daily time caps for teens on Instagram and Facebook, putting a spotlight on how platform design shapes young people’s nighttime habits. Read more here.
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“The Gambling Talk”: Many Parents Worry Their Kids Will Gamble Before Legal Age, Yet Only Half of Parents of School-Age Kids Have Had the Conversation, New NCPG/Harris Poll Finds
Most parents are worried about their kids gambling before they’re old enough, yet only half of parents with school-age kids (6-17) (51%) have had “the gambling talk” with them. A new national survey conducted by The Harris Poll on behalf of the National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG) finds that 64% of parents with children under 18 are concerned about them taking part in gambling activities before they reach legal gambling age. That includes sports betting, prediction markets, lottery play, and fantasy sports apps. Research shows that young people face heightened risk of developing a gambling problem. The prefrontal cortex, the part of the brain responsible for planning and decision-making, is one of the last to mature and does not finish developing until the mid-to-late 20s, according to the National Institute of Mental Health. Read more here.
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SUNY Chancellor King Celebrates Scholars for Mental Health
State University of New York Chancellor John B. King Jr. today celebrated five Scholars for Mental Health who have demonstrated leadership and a steadfast commitment to bolstering the mental health field. Through funding from Voya, the Scholars for Mental Health received $10,000 each to help cover expenses and fees as they further their studies in psychology, social work, or psychiatric nursing. This builds on SUNY's commitment to expanding access to mental health education and increasing the diversity of the mental health workforce." Across the SUNY system, we recognize the importance of strengthening mental health education, access, and resources to prepare the state's workforce and serve our fellow New Yorkers," said SUNY Chancellor King. Read more here.
Related: SUNY Chancellor King Announces Additional Mental Health Resources for Student Veterans
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UPCOMING EVENTS & TRAININGS
Using PSYCKES for Crisis Work
November 4, 10 - 11 am, OMH
Strengthening Behavioral Health Crisis Care Systems for Children and Youth
November 4, 3 - 4 pm, CMS NTAC
Strengthening Rural Communities: Innovations and Partnerships to Address Substance Use Disorders and the Opioid Crisis
November 5, 2 - 3 pm, SAMHSA
Gambling in Justice- Involved & Reentry Populations (Overview, risks, Screening, and Recovery Supports)
November 9, 12 - 1:30 pm, NEATTC
Improving Population Health Through Medicaid and Public Health Partnerships
November 10, 3 - 4:15 pm, Center for Health Care Strategies
Criminogenic Thinking & Antisocial Logic
November 18, 12:30 - 3:30 pm, NEATTC
Scaling Sustainably: Introducing the Communitywide Mental Health First Aid Implementation Road Map
November 12, 1 - 2 pm, National Council for Mental Wellbeing
PSYCKES for County Local Government Units
November 19, 1 - 2 pm, OMH
Bridging Community Health and Public Safety: Deflection, Situation Tables, and Cross-Sector Collaboration
November 18, 12 - 1:30 pm, NAADAC
Evolving a Trauma Responsive Environment to Support Workforce Wellness
November 20, 10 am - 12 pm, NCATTC
The Power of Protective Factors: What Recovery Professionals Can Teach Prevention (and Vice Versa)
December 2, 12 - 1 pm, NAADAC
Considering Ethics in Documentation of Clinical Supervision
December 9, 12 - 1:30 pm, NAADAC
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CLMHD CALENDAR
November
Executive Committee Meeting
November 4: 8 - 9 am
Quarterly LGU Billing Staff Call
November 4: 11 am - 12 pm
LGU Clinic Operators Call
November 10: 10 - 11 am
CLMHD Office Closed - Veterans Day
November 11
Addiction Services & Recovery Committee Meeting
November 12: 11 am - 12 pm
Mental Health Committee Meeting
November 12: 3 - 4 pm
Children & Families Committee Meeting
November 17: 12 - 1:30 pm
CLMHD Membership Call
November 18: 9 - 10 am
CLMHD Office Closed - Thanksgiving
November 26 - 27
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