Gov. Kathy Hochul recently announced the awarding of $39.1 million to nine community-based hospitals across New York state, including several in Central New York, to develop comprehensive psychiatry emergency programs.
The funds will help bring the total number of programs statewide to 31 and provide additional capacity to serve thousands of people experiencing a behavioral-health crisis.
“Expanding hospital-based psychiatric emergency programs is a critical component of our efforts to strengthen New York state’s mental healthcare system,” Hochul said in a news release. “This funding will provide community-based hospitals with capital to establish new programs so they can quickly evaluate and provide care to anyone experiencing a behavioral-health crisis.”
In the 16-county Central New York region, Faxton St. Luke’s Healthcare (now closed and replaced by Wynn Hospital), which is part of Mohawk Valley Health System in Utica, received $493,253 million. Additionally, Arnot Ogden Hospital in Chemung County was allocated $4.8 million and Claxton-Hepburn Medical Center in St. Lawrence County received $4.8 million.
Other recipients are located in Western New York and New York City.
The conditional awards, administered by the state Office of Mental Health (OMH), are for the development and operation of new comprehensive psychiatric emergency programs or to establish a satellite location.
Such programs are a primary entry point to the mental-health system for individuals in need of crisis treatment and provide a full range of psychiatric services to individuals experiencing a behavioral-health crisis including co-occurring disorders, substance-use disorders, intellectual and developmental disabilities, and medical conditions. The programs can admit individuals for up to 72 hours, if needed.
These programs receive referrals from providers, emergency medical services transport, police transport, and walk-ins. Individuals are screened and then assessed and examined to determine their needs and provide a treatment plan. The programs also include mobile crisis services that can respond to situations in the community and help reduce the need for an emergency evaluation or admission and support individuals awaiting follow-up services.
The funding is part of a $1 billion plan to strengthen mental-health care. With most of the funding in procurement, the plan is now providing the funded need to open new programs, expand effective initiatives, and develop thousands of units of specialized housing to serve individuals living with mental illness.