Issue:
Readjustment of State Funding - Presently the Office of Mental Health Budget (OMH) spends approximately $5 billion annually, more than 50% of which goes to maintain approximately 4,000 beds of inpatient care. However, OMH serves more than 600,000 people annually, leaving less than 50% of those resources for the vast majority of those in need of mental health services.

Local Assistance - In previous years, inconsistent funding and cuts to local assistance have damaged the ability of community-based mental health providers to consistently provide quality mental health services.

COLA - Recruitment and retention of quality direct care mental health staff has become more and more difficult, primarily due to very low compensation.

Action:
Readjustment of State Funding - NYS should evaluate the entire system of mental health care to determine if there are efficiencies that can be made. Any savings that are captured must be directed into community-based care, where the vast majority of individuals receive mental health services.

Local Assistance - Maintain existing funding for community-based providers and improve upon these quality services through increases in local assistance funding.

COLA – Additional funding is necessary to ensure that employers can hire and retain qualified direct care staff who play an integral role in the process of recovery from mental illness.