What is the Issue?
Summer children’s camps are unable to hire on staff mental health clinicians to work in their sleep away or day camps because of existing Corporate Practice Law. Yet Summer Camps are able to hire medical professionals such as physicians and nurses because they have an exemption from the existing law.
Why should this be of interest to Mental Health Advocates?
With all the documented issues that MHANYS and others have worked on regarding mental health issues among young people, why would we tolerate any barriers to allowing for mental health clinicians in summer camps? Over twenty percent of young people have a serious mental health issues, not to mention the percentage of young people that have less serious but still debilitating mental health issues. In addition, suicide completion is the second leading cause of death among 10—24 year olds.
Given these numbers, why would we allow any obstacles to care? What mental health professionals need is the same exemption that medical professionals have.
Logical, commonsense and it cost nothing to taxpayers.
What is Current Status of the Law?
The NYS Senate has already passed this bill, but now we need to do the same with the State Assembly.
Now that you know the issue, what do we need?
Actions
We need you to take two minutes to make three phone calls:
Assembly Speaker Heastie
(518) 455-3791
Assemblyman Abinanti (the bill sponsor)
(518) 455–5753
Assemblymember Glick
(518) 455-4649
Message is:
“Please support A 3074. Camps should be able to hire mental health clinicians in the same way they are able to hire medical professionals. There should be no barriers to care for youth with mental health issues”
