• Provide a 7.8% increase for community-based not-for-profits human services rates and contracts in the FY 2025-26 NYS Budget. The 7.8% represents the total of the current inflationary increase of 2.9% (CPI July, 2024) and the difference between the human services COLAs over the past three years (12.2%) and the CPI increases (17.1%) over that same period.
• Assure a workforce sufficient to meet growing demand for mental health services.
• Vacancy rates and turnover have negatively impacted patient care.
• 800,000 human services workers and 3 million New Yorkers served.
• 80% of the workforce are women; 50% are people of color.
• Create a more equitable and sustainable retirement system for all essential workers (CORE)

Read the letter to the Governor here and the concerns and data here. 

• New York is experiencing a mental health workforce shortage that is contributing to long waiting lists, increases in unnecessary hospital emergency room visits and long ER wait times, and unmet need
• Thirty-nine counties in the state are currently designated Mental Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs)
• Between 2019 and 2023, behavioral health visits were up roughly 40% nationally, while visits for all other care were up 3%, according to the 2024 Trends Shaping the Health Economy Report. 
• Effective strategies are needed to attract and retain mental health workers, including retirement equitable to other job sectors.  
• Enhancing career ladder options for professionals, paraprofessionals, and peers.

Support Mental Health Literacy and Whole Health Parity Legislation

1. There is a growing mental health crisis on college campuses
2. College student depression has increased by 135% over 8 years; Anxiety increased 110%
3. College faculty and staff mental health has also grown worse
4. Increased mental health literacy fosters treatment seeking behavior and reduces stigma. In a 2024 survey conducted to evaluate students’ knowledge about mental health, nearly three-quarters indicated that it is important to raise awareness. The survey also found only one-third know how/where to go to make their college or university more open to talking about mental health.
5. Whole health parity prioritizes mental health as equal to physical health.

Support the Mental Health Literacy of Students and School Community

1. The COVID pandemic has negatively impacted student mental health.
2. The onset of mental illnesses begins on average at the age of 14; and around the age of 7 for anxiety disorders.
3. The School Mental Health Resource and Training Center supports mental health literacy.
4. Increased mental health literacy of teachers and school staff encourages timely treatment.
5. Excused absences for mental health contributes to a culture and climate of wellness.
6. Assure schools have suicide prevention, intervention, and postvention policies in place.

Support Increased Funding for Supportive Housing

• Sufficient housing capacity supports community-based recovery.
• The risk for experiencing homelessness increases without supportive housing.
• 40,000 New Yorkers rely on supportive housing in order to live independently in the community.
• Current funding levels have not kept pace with inflation. Providers are at risk of closing.
• Sufficient housing capacity avoids more costly settings.

• Final adoption of regulations by the New York State Department of Financial Services and the New York State Department of Health regarding network adequacy. The regulations would ensure appointments within ten days for outpatient providers or seven days following discharge from the hospital or emergency room.
• Final adoption of regulations by the New York State Department of Health requiring general hospital emergency services (ER departments) to develop policies and procedures for intake and discharge of patients with behavioral health presentations, which includes screening for risk of suicide.
• Strengthen oversight, enforcement, and compliance with federal and state MH/SUD parity laws. 

• Support for our first responders: Enact the First Responder Peer Support Program Act.  First responder peer support programs provide a critical network of emotional and psychological assistance for individuals working in high-stress and traumatic environments. These programs rely on peers who have shared similar experiences to offer understanding, guidance, and support, helping reduce stigma, and promoting mental well-being.