BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — Governor Kathy Hochul announced a billion-dollar plan to address the gap she says exists within our health care system. Hochul said it's an all in effort to strengthen and finally invest properly in the mental health care system.
"We must meet this crisis with the urgency that it demands," said Governor Kathy Hochul.
It's a public safety crisis Hochul said spreads all across New York State. Local agencies here in Buffalo said the comprehensive plan to fix the mental health care system comes at a crucial time.
"With the pandemic, followed by the massacre on Jefferson in May, now this snow storm and the Damar Hamlin situation," said Elizabeth Woike-Ganga, President and CEO of BestSelf Behavioral Health. "All of those situations have really created a collective trauma."
Many of those events are Woike-Ganga said requests for services have skyrocketed.
"The East Side of Buffalo maybe didn't traditionally seek out services a lot," said Woike-Ganga. "The stigma is starting to go down a little bit and people are realizing that help is really available."
Hochul's multi-year plan will dramatically expand outpatient services, insurance coverage and increase capacity for inpatient psychiatric treatment.
"We will add 1,000 inpatient psychiatric beds by funding 150 from the state and bringing 850 psych beds back online," said Hochul.
Hochul said that amount will be enough to serve over 10,000 people each year. She also plans to add 3,500 residential housing units for "wrap around services."
"We'll make sure that when patients move from one kind of care to the other they don't get left behind," said Hochul."
The plan will also expand mental health services for school-aged children.
"We're seeing a lot of kids coming to treatment who really need significant help managing stressors, coping, just getting their school work done," said Woike-Ganga.
While Woike-Ganga says staffing may be a challenge down the line, she says she's pleased with the amount of attention Hochul is giving to mental health.
"We definitely need a focus on our workforce and making sure that we can pay competitive salaries and for sure increasing these services will require a workforce," said Woike-Ganga.
"Let's get it done," said Hochul. "Let's get it done."
