On September 8, CCC submitted testimony to the NYS Assembly Standing Committee on Mental Health for a hearing on the impact of COVID-19 on individuals with either a mental illness or an intellectual or developmental disability.

The testimony highlighted a behavioral health crisis among children and youth that existed prior to COVID-19 and has since been exacerbated. New York’s youth are seeing a spike in reported anxiety and/or depression symptoms that are consistently higher than other age groups. This crisis exists against the backdrop of funding cuts across the city and state that jeopardize access to care. The testimony offered a series of recommendations to support children and adolescents in New York, such as protecting against funding cuts, making telehealth flexibilities permanent, and making behavioral health services more accessible.