Alliance Alert: Saritha Komatireddy is the Republican nominee for New York state attorney general who recently proposed the creation of “an Office of Civil Commitment (that) would be established within the Attorney General’s Office and staffed by law enforcement professionals and physicians.” See more in yesterday’s Finger Lakes Daily News.
Luke and I provided a response that was included in the Capital News’ blog below summarizing Susan Arbetter’s interview with Ms. Komatireddy last night.
Luke asserted that “we will not be able to address our mental health crisis by turning over the mental health system’s responsibility to the courts, judges, police and attorneys nor by rebuilding very costly hospitals and residential institutions.”
I emphasized that “the answers can be found in Governor Hochul’s unprecedented investment in street-based outreach and housing that provide real, trusted and lasting solutions and with hospital discharge plans that include a peer bridger to provide ongoing support, a place to live (inclusive of housing first) and a place to go” (like clubhouses, recovery centers and/or a job) and that the state should “fix and fund the services that work rather spend even more money on approaches that don’t.”
See more details in our attached recommendations and in the graphic below.
In less than 2 weeks, our Annual Conference will feature presentations especially relevant to this topic including “A Deep Dive on the Implications of Kendra’s Law New Study Findings,” “INSET: Reimagining Engagement Empire Through Choice, Trust, and Connection,” “Building the Capacity for an Inclusive Peer Support Service Continuum,” “Care not Criminalization, “State and Federal Policy Community Support,” “Reimagining Mental Health Through Community and Collaboration,” and “Clubhouses: Building Community, Recovery, and Opportunity,” and presentation by OMH Commissioner Dr. Ann Sullivan and NYC Executive Deputy Commissioner for the Division of Mental Hygiene Dr. Jorge Petit.
Conference Registration: Click HERE
Hotel Reservations Click HERE
