On November 9, 2021, Jennifer March, CCC Executive Director, submitted testimony to the New York State Assembly Committee on Mental Health’s Legislative Hearing on the Mental Health Workforce.

Jennifer wrote that the depth of the behavioral health crisis for our state’s children is difficult to overstate. Even prior to the pandemic, suicide was the second leading cause of death among children ages 15-19, and roughly half of children with a behavioral health condition did not receive treatment or counseling. Since the start of the pandemic, children are experiencing serious emotional distress. However they have been unable to access adequate services resulting in stark increases of psychiatric symptomatology and hospitalizations.

She highlighted CCC’s recommendations for strengthening and growing the capacity of the mental health workforce to bring relief to an overburdened system. These recommendations include:

• Increase rates of reimbursement
• Continue enhanced funding for Home and Community Based Services (HCBS) and Child and Family Treatment and Support Services (CFTSS)
• Medicaid and commercial billing reforms
• Leverage Enhanced FMAP funds
• Recruitment and retention