April 18, 2024 — A new report from the Office of the State Comptroller reaffirms a central tenet of PEF’s Fund Our Future campaign – New York is in dire need of reinvestment in mental health services after a decade of cuts administered by former Governor Andrew Cuomo.
According to the report, statewide inpatient psychiatric capacity has decreased by almost 11 percent since April 2014, effectively cutting more than 8,400 beds available for patients with mental health needs. Nearly 75 percent of the decline in inpatient capacity was due to the loss of beds in State-run psychiatric centers, where many PEF professionals work. In the OSC report, those alarming statistics are juxtaposed against the growing need for mental health treatment, with 900,000 New Yorkers seeking treatment in the last decade, up 23 percent since 2014.
The Comptroller details in the report how the $1 billion to expand access to mental health services has already resulted in increases in capacity, but stresses the importance of more funding to deliver more inpatient and outpatient mental health services.
The 2024-2025 State budget is expected to be finalized this week and PEF has lobbied for it to include additional inpatient psychiatric beds and additional resources and staffing to address the State’s mental health crisis, priorities shared by several legislators.
“Access to mental health resources is vital for the wellness of our children and young adults,” said Assemblymember Aileen Gunther, chair of that chamber’s Mental Health Committee.
“What we know is that our greatest resources are our human resources, and they are the individuals who come in every day to do this work for our loved ones, and right now, they’re simply not paid even close to the value that they bring,” State Senator Samra Brouk said during an interview in February.
The Comptroller’s report states that the work is not over and recommends policymakers continue working with community hospitals, increase compensation for mental health professionals, and strengthen the system overall to address all aspects and risks associated with mental health.
“Ensuring the availability of inpatient mental health services is a critical component of the State’s effort to address the ongoing mental health challenges facing the State and improve the lives of vulnerable New Yorkers,” concludes the OSC report.