NY: Governor Hochul Announces Plan to Address Public Safety Challenges Associated with Serious Mental Illness (Press release)
Office of Kathy Hochul, Governor for New York – January 09, 2024
Governor Hochul today announced a plan to address the public safety challenges associated with serious mental illness as a part of her 2024 State of the State address. The Governor’s proposal will provide a new, significant expansion of psychiatric beds and services for individuals with acute needs. To address the needs of this population and minimize deeper penetration into the criminal justice system, as well as reducing frequent emergency room visits or periods of homelessness, a continuum of interventions is necessary. Governor Hochul will support an unprecedented level of coordination between law enforcement and mental health professionals at the state and local level. The Governor will also create 100 new civil capacity inpatient psychiatric beds, 15 of which will service children and adolescents who have specialized needs, including those in foster care or with other systems involvement.