	We Can Help. 914-345-5900 • help@mhawestchester.org

Advocacy > Be An Advocate > Geriatric Mental Health Alliance

About the Geriatric Mental Health Alliance of New York

Background
Goals
Staff
Alliance Members
Update Reports
Contact
Donations

Background

The Center for Policy and Advocacy of The Mental Health Associations of New York City and of Westchester established The Geriatric Mental Health Alliance of New York in January 2004 because the current mental health system does not serve older adults with mental health conditions adequately and because there has been so little preparation to respond to the growth of mental health needs that will emerge during the elder boom. The purpose of the Alliance is to advocate for changes in mental health practice and policy that are needed to improve current mental health services for older adults and to develop an adequate response to the mental health needs of the elder boom generation.

As a first step, The Center for Policy and Advocacy convened discussion groups and held interviews with advocates, providers, researchers, academics, government officials and older adults from the fields of mental health, health and aging. Read the list of participants in these groups and interviews. A report of the findings entitled Issues in Geriatric Mental Health Policy, which was first published in the May/June issue of Community Mental Health Report, is available on this website. To obtain a hard copy of the report, email us at Center@mhaofnyc.org.

Goals

The goals of the Alliance are to:

Advocate for improvements in public policy
Provide public education
Build a constituency for geriatric mental health
Foster the development and dissemination of innovative service models
Promote involvement of the private sector
Provide analytic information regarding geriatric mental health policy

Alliance Staff

Michael B. Friedman, LMSW, Alliance Chairman

Alliance Chairman Michael B. Friedman has over thirty-five years experience as a mental health clinician, advocate, administrator, and policy maker in New York City and the Hudson Valley. He has served as Director of Network Development, New York Hospital; Regional Director (Deputy Commissioner), NYS Office of Mental Health; Executive Director MHA of Westchester; and Director of Operations of The Jewish Board of Family and Children's Services. He has also served on numerous advocacy and advisory groups, including The Mental Health Action Network, The Children’s Justice Taskforce, the NAMIs (National Alliance for the Mentally Ill) of New York City and of Westchester, The Coalition of Voluntary Mental Health Agencies and The Greater New York Hospital Association. He can be reached at center@mhaofnyc.org.

Kimberly A. Steinhagen, Director

Kimberly A. Steinhagen, Alliance Director, is a recent graduate from the Columbia University School of Social Work, who assisted in the development of the Geriatric Mental Health Alliance. As a student she specialized in geriatric mental health policy. She is also a founding member of the Student Social Workers’ Alliance for a Progressive Society (SSWAPS) and co-chaired the chapter at Columbia. She can be reached at steinhagenk@mhaofnyc.org.