Mental Health Matters Day
Hundreds Converge on State Capitol to Garner Support for Community Mental Health Day
Features Empowering Mental Health Matters Rally
ALBANY, N.Y. — The Mental Health Association in New York State and the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention’s Mental Health Matters Day will bring over 500 advocates from across New York State to the State Capitol this Wednesday, March 11. This year’s Mental Health Matters Day comes as we continue to contend with a mental health crisis and policymakers make critical decisions that will impact the mental health workforce, school and college mental health, and suicide prevention efforts, and the mental health and wellness of our first responders.
Starting with a morning policy briefing and orientation, the day is headlined by an inspiring Mental Health Matters rally in West Capitol Park, followed by constituent legislative meetings and packet drop-offs reaching every legislator’s office. This year, the priorities of focus are as follows:
- Mental health workforce: Provide a targeted inflationary increase of at least 2.7% for not-for-profit mental health and human services providers.
- Mental Health in Schools and Colleges: Support for the expansion of the Teen and Youth Mental Health First Aid in high schools. In addition, increase training available to enhance mental health literacy for teachers, administrators, and other personnel in schools and in higher education.
- Suicide Prevention: Support efforts to install bridge barriers on public infrastructure and authorize a monthly surcharge on cell phone bills to help fund the costs associated with the 988 crisis line.
- Support for New York’s First Responders: Support for the First Responder Peer Support Program Act to provide for the establishment of first responder peer-to-peer programs across New York State.
- Mental Health Parity: Support of additional initiatives to enhance oversight and compliance with federal and state mental health and substance use disorder parity laws. As New York approaches the twenty-year anniversary of the signing of New York’s mental health parity law, Timothy’s Law, and the eighteen-year anniversary of the federal mental health parity law, it is more important than ever that we ensure full compliance.
WHEN & WHERE: Wednesday, March 11, 2026
9:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. – MHANYS/AFSP Legislative Briefing with remarks from lawmakers and advocates (Empire State Plaza Convention Hall, Albany)
11:00 am. – Approximate start time
12:00 p.m. – Mental Health Matters Rally outside State Capitol (West Capitol Park)
