Alliance Note: Governor Hochul and the NYS Office of Mental Health have announced a recent funding initiative to improve mental health for children and families during the early stages of life. The state has awarded an additional $24 million to expand the HealthySteps program, which puts specialists in childhood development in doctors’ offices to help identify and address issues of mental health and social determinants of health. This effort comes as another way Hochul’s administration, and the Office of Mental Health are addressing youth mental health through prevention.
The Alliance supports these efforts to increase preventative services and voluntary supports for young people and their families. This year’s Annual Conference, “Leading the Charge for Recovery, Rights and Justice!” will once again include a town hall withCommissioner Ann Sullivan and other representatives from the Office of Mental Health.Attend to learn more about OMH’s efforts to improve mental health services for youth and all other New Yorkers.
The conference will also include a powerful youth track which will include a keynote from nationally recognized advocates Kelly Davis and Vesper Moore, as well as several workshops on youth peer support, advancing youth justice reform, and strategies to support and increase the number of youth advocates. Use the links and information below to register for the conference and get hotel accommodations today! Take advantage of our buy 5 get 1 free deal before it ends on September 6th!
Score Big with Our BUY 5, GET 1 FREE Deal! Deadline September 6th
We are also very pleased to invite you to take advantage of our exclusive offer: when you register five people, you’ll get one registration (including the hotel reservation) absolutely free!
- Hotel, meals and special offerings: Just contact the hotel directly at 1-800-727-8455 and select #1 for reservations to claim your bonus. Remember, each attendee needs an individual reservation/registration, but if they’re sharing a room, you can reserve them together in one go. Planning a short stay? For one-night-only bookings, give the hotel a call at the same number and select #1 for reservations. Don’t miss out on these fantastic savings!
- To attend the conference program, make your qualifying registrations HERE and then email Eileen Crosby for your free registration(s). Don’t forget to include the email address used for purchase and your organization.
If you plan to register less than 5 attendees, use the links to complete registration and get hotel accommodations online. Conference registration and hotel reservations are separate.
Look for almost daily Alliance E-News postings for more announcements to hear about our other speakers and schedule. Email us here to subscribe to our E-News!
See below for more information on the recent HealthySteps funding.
Hochul Announces $24M to Expand Pediatrics-Based Mental Health Program
By Ethan Geringer-Sameth | Crain’s Health Pulse | August 28, 2024
New York State is spending up to $24 million to expand an early childhood development program in pediatric primary care offices across the state, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced Tuesday.
The program, known as HealthySteps, places a childhood development specialist in participating pediatrics practices to support mental health in children up to 3 years old, and their families, during particularly formative stages. The state hopes to bring the program to as many as 50 new doctor’s offices and increase participation to 350,000 kids by 2027, according to the governor’s office.
HealthySteps launched in 2016 as a pilot program in 17 practices around the state. Its goal is to take advantage of well-visits for newborns and young children to address developmental and environmental factors that are often missed in the course of a typical check up. Its champions in the state say the program helps address postpartum depression and the social determinants of mental health in children, and promotes trauma-informed approaches to childhood resilience.
Infants typically see a pediatrician seven times in well-visits during their first year, a critical time in the brain’s development, according to the governor’s office. HealthySteps specialists serve as a liaison between families and their pediatricians and provide consultation on issues physicians often do not address, like feeding, sleep, depression, attachment and other behavioral nodes.
The state Office of Mental Health, which administers the program, has awarded funding to 97 practices to date. The funding is part of a $1 billion mental health commitment Hochul launched in the fiscal year 2024 state budget.
The governor has placed a premium on youth mental health, emphasizing it in her State of the State agenda this year and making $20 million available for school-based mental health clinics. The current budget also includes roughly $19 million for youth mental health services in outpatient and residential settings, according to a press release announcing the latest funding. In June, Hochul signed legislation that would curb websites’ collection and sale of digitally-collected personal data for people under 18. Another law requires social media companies to place restrictions on what information is accessible to young people.