Click here to view HMHK’s first-of-its kind-study calling for a $195 million investment to address the workforce crisis forcing children and families onto years-long waitlists for life-saving behavioral health supports

NEW YORK – In response to Gov. Kathy Hochul’s State of the State address, Citizens’ Committee for Children on New York Executive Director Jennifer March issued the following statement on behalf of the Campaign for Healthy Minds, Healthy Kids:

“The Campaign for Healthy Minds, Healthy Kids is grateful for Gov. Hochul’s continued commitment to addressing the youth mental health crisis facing countless New York families. While we applaud her SOS priorities that would expand access to mental health resources for young people in schools, grow the state’s loan forgiveness program for the behavioral health workforce, and invest in psychiatric inpatient beds, more investments are urgently needed to increase access to high quality community based care for children and adolescents.

This year, we are calling on the Governor to invest $195 million in the state budget to adjust outpatient clinic rates to reflect the complexity of serving children and families, keep pace with inflation, and compensate providers as they coordinate services with a growing array of care managers. Without these critical investments, the behavioral health workforce will continue to decline, service capacity for children will continue to shrink, and New York’s children will sit on longer waitlists while their unmet mental health needs become deeper, more complex, more difficult and most costly to treat.

We look forward to partnering with the Governor on meeting the mental health needs of New York’s kids.”

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ABOUT The Campaign for Healthy Minds, Healthy Kids

The Campaign for Healthy Minds, Healthy Kids is a statewide coalition of behavioral health providers, advocates, and New York families, joining together to create the public and political will necessary to ensure all children and adolescents in New York receive the high-quality behavioral health services they need.