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Taskforce on Preserving Behavioral Health Services

About the Taskforce

Because of its concern that the recommendations of the NYS Commission on Health Care Facilities for the 21st Century could inadvertently result in the loss of essential mental health and substance abuse services, The Center for the Policy and Advocacy of the Mental Health Associations of NYC and Westchester has convened a Taskforce to insure that critical services are protected. The taskforce consists of over 29 umbrella organizations representing providers, professionals, families, consumers, and counties.

In 2005, the Governor, with the support of the New York State Legislature, established the Commission. The Governor has characterized its goal as “rightsizing” the hospital and nursing home systems.

General hospitals provide inpatient and outpatient psychiatric services to tens of thousands of New Yorkers each year and run close to full capacity. Hospital closures that may make sense from the standpoint of the underutilization of medical services could result in a disastrous loss of psychiatric services if the Commission neglects to develop plans for preserving them.

The new Taskforce, which is funded with a grant from the New York Community Trust, is educating the public and the Commission on the importance of general hospitals to the public mental health system and with advocating for the State to develop plans to preserve essential behavioral health services or to create viable alternatives.

Its goal is not to oppose all proposed hospital closures. Nor is it to preserve current hospital-based resources unchanged. The goal is to assure that needed behavioral health services are not lost as the Commission decides which hospitals and nursing homes will be closed.

The taskforce is chaired by Michael Friedman, Director of the Center for Policy and Advocacy. This project is directed by Gary Weiskopf, former Director of the New York State Conference of Local Mental Hygiene Directors. Weiskopf's web site may be found at http://www.weiskopfconsulting.net.

Taskforce Documents

• A useful fact sheet on the role of hospitals in the mental health system.
• A useful fact sheet on the role of hospitals in the chemical dependency system.
• Taskforce member Barry Perlman, President of the New York State Psychiatric Association, used his Winter 2006 President's Message to address the work of the commission. (Printer friendly pdf file)
• The Health Care Association of New York State (HANYS) has created a useful fact sheet on the commission. (Printer friendly pdf file)
• Testimony by Michael Friedman to the Commission on Healthcare Facilities in the 21st Century.
• Testimony by Michael Friedman to the New York State Office of Mental Health on the Berger Commission.
• Op-Ed, by Michael Friedman, originally published in Mental Health News, Summer 2006, entitled "Preserving Behavioral Health Services in New York State.
• Policy brief on the role of general hospitals in New York State's behavioral health system. (Printer friendly pdf file)
• Policy Brief on New York State's community mental health system. (Printer friendly pdf file)

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