NYAPRS Note: NYAPRS is very pleased to see increases for community mental health services take center stage this week, both via testimony from NYAPRS Board member Shannon Higbee and our allies at today’s Attorney General Letitia James’ mental health hearing that is going on now at https://ag.ny.gov/livestream and via NYS Mental Health Committee Chair Samra Brouk’s terrific OP ED in the Albany Times Union for annual wage hikes.
NY Attorney General To Hold Hearing On Mental Health In Buffalo
BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) January 18, 2023
New York State Attorney General Letitia James will be in Buffalo on Wednesday for a public hearing on access to mental health care for people with serious mental illness.
The hearing will take place at 11 a.m. at the Mason O. Damon Auditorium at the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library (1 Lafayette Square).
“As we continue to grapple with the impacts of COVID-19 and the immense tragedy facing Western New Yorkers, it is imperative that complete mental health services are available to our communities,” James said. “Hearing from those with first-hand experience navigating our mental health care systems will better inform recommended solutions for New Yorkers in need.”
This past June, another public hearing on mental health was held by the Attorney General in New York City.
Anyone seeking to submit a written testimony can do so at this link through January 20. Those who aren’t able to attend in person can watch the hearing online.
Better Mental Health Care Starts With Workforce Investments
To build a strong mental health care system, we must ensure that employees receive wages that reflect the importance of their work.
Samra Brouk Jan. 12, 2023
There is no shortage of conversations surrounding mental health — how we can reach those who may be struggling, how care looks different depending on a person’s age, race, or gender identity, and most recently the intersection of mental health and homelessness. But until New York begins to prioritize the needs of its mental health workforce, we won’t be able to take the necessary steps to ensure that every New Yorker has the care they deserve.
New York state has nowhere near the amount of providers, beds, or supportive housing necessary to address the mental health of its residents. Decades of divestment have resulted in a mental health system at its breaking point, and a workforce that is both overlooked and undervalued.
This has serious consequences for New York families, many of whom are already struggling with lengthy waitlists and a reduced access to care. Recent reports describe vacancy rates as high as 40 percent in direct-care positions — positions that needed to be filled long before the rising demand for mental health care we see today. And now, as conversations seemingly revolve around how and when a person should receive care, involuntary commitment proposals risk putting even more strain on a system that is already failing.
So how do we move forward?
When it comes to budget and policy decisions, we must start viewing a fully staffed mental health workforce as essential. New York has an obligation to take every action possible to shore up its workforce by ensuring that employees receive wages that are reflective of the importance of their work. When we offer employees low wages, long hours, and difficult work, we may as well be showing them the door.
There are several initiatives that can make sure that mental health workers are treated with the dignity they deserve all while expanding access to care. Primarily, we must ensure that these workers are paid fairly for their work. Prior to a 1 percent increase in 2021, state mental health workers hadn’t received a cost-of-living adjustment in more than a decade. The state has the opportunity to automate the cost-of-living adjustment process in 2023 by passing S9615, which would create an annual wage increase tied to inflation. Simple measures, like ensuring basic adjustments to wages, can help retain the workforce during this critical period.
New York can’t afford not to invest in mental health in 2023. The responsibility is ours to make sure that we do so in a way that not only preserves the dignity of those living with mental illness, but rightfully invests in those doing this crucial work.
State Sen. Samra Brouk of Rochester, chair of the Senate Committee on Mental Health, represents the 55th state Senate District. Her reintroduced legislation on cost-of-living adjustments indexed to inflation can be viewed here.