NYAPRS Note: New York City’s First Lady Chirlane McCray offered a few general features of the “Roadmap for Mental Health” that the City has been developing under her leadership. She will be receiving NYAPRS’ Hope and Inspiration Award at our upcoming fall conference in the Catskills. For more details, please go to http://www.nyaprs.org/conferences/annual-conference/2015.cfm.
Chirlane McCray Outlines City’s Plans For Mental Health, Leaves Out Specifics
The Administration Of Her Husband, Bill De Blasio, Has Promised To Commit $386 Million To The Issue Over The Next Three Years
By Jonathan LaMantia Crain’s Health Pulse August 19, 2015
New York City First Lady Chirlane McCray on Tuesday offered a glimpse of her efforts to combat mental illness through community interventions, detailing the de Blasio administration’s $386 million commitment to the issue over the next three years.
During a roundtable briefing with reporters at Gracie Mansion, Ms. McCray remained mum about specifics of her “Roadmap for Mental Health,” scheduled to be released in the fall. She did lay out the broad parameters for what she hopes the initiative will accomplish. The “Roadmap” is a partnership between the Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York City, the city’s Health Department and the Fund for Public Health.
The initiative will first quantify the problems of mental illness, using such metrics as lost productivity, and the cost of those with a serious illness revolving among hospitals, shelters and jails.
Ms. McCray, who was honored this year by Crain’s as one of New York’s Most Powerful Women, said the plan will have a bold vision and multiyear agenda for what the city hopes to accomplish. But she did not describe specific measures that would lead to success.
The plan will document the city’s current efforts to address mental health issues in New York.
“The New York City government hasn’t really even looked into where the funding goes for the programs and services that we have in more than 30 years,” Ms. McCray said.
The city has rolled out several mental health initiatives this year. Ms. McCray, who is chairwoman of the city’s charitable arm, the Mayor’s Fund, announced last month a $30 million public-private partnership that aims to improve mental health services in low-income areas.
That program, called Connections to Care, will issue requests for proposals in the fall. It will select about a dozen community organizations, such as senior centers, job training programs and early-childhood centers, and will train staff members in how to identify mental health issues and refer people to appropriate resources. Organizations will be selected for funding in the winter, and the program is expected start next spring.
Ms. McCray has gathered feedback from residents and organizations in all five boroughs, where she said she heard calls for additional community services to combat long waiting lists and obstacles in delivering services to people of varying cultures.
The city also announced earlier this month NYC Safe, a $22 million annual commitment that aims to get law enforcement officials involved in dealing with the mentally ill.
“Government takes a long time to catch up with the reality of how people live and the science we have,” Ms. McCray said. “It’s not unusual, but it’s time for us to do something because we are spending so much money to put Band-Aids on things that can be prevented or treated.”