Photo Courtesy of Sen. Schumer’s Office
“What many New Yorkers are saying right now is that the pandemic has taken such a mental toll that some of them need more help than others to overcome new challenges and struggles related to their mental health and happiness,” Sen. Schumer said.
By Forum Staff
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer announced on Sunday that he’s pushing the feds to quickly release $5 billion dollars included in the recently-passed American Rescue Plan so that the funds can give New Yorkers—and the mental health providers they rely upon—the help they’re asking for amid rising need.
Schumer said that, on average, three times more people than last year at this time report struggling with mental health symptoms like depression, anxiety, drug use and more. Schumer said that one of the biggest problems to beating these feelings and reclaiming mental health depends on timely access to care and overall access to care. He explained that with the ‘quick release’ of these fed funds, New York will see a surge in mental health support programs and increased access to a variety of care options.
“What many New Yorkers are saying right now is that the pandemic has taken such a mental toll that some of them need more help than others to overcome new challenges and struggles related to their mental health and happiness,” Schumer said.
Schumer stressed the importance of combating the mental health crisis exacerbated by the pandemic, citing a study from the Kaiser Family Foundation that said during the pandemic, about 4 in 10 adults have reported symptoms of anxiety or depression, up from 1 in 10 adults who reported the same symptoms less than a year ago. Amongst COVID survivors as well, it has been reported that 1 in 3 patients were diagnosed with a brain or psychiatric disorder within six months of physical recovery, indicating that the mental health effects of COVID will last well beyond the end of the pandemic.
The roughly $5 billion is broken down, in part, below.
Schumer helped to secure $3 billion for mental health and substance use block grants. These grants are used to fund treatment for a variety of New Yorkers, enhance mental health prevention efforts, and implement local, community-based mental health interventions. Based on the services they offer, New York mental health organizations—and providers—will be able to apply for these funds via the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
Funds would also be in the form of Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Block Grants. These funds are sent directly to community organizations to provide mental health and substance abuse treatment and services, such as screening, day treatment programs, emergency services, outpatient treatment and more.
More than $1 billion for a new federal program to create mobile crisis intervention services, which are dispatched when a person is experiencing a mental health or substance use disorder crisis. These services can work closely with law enforcement and help protect both patients and police officers.
$140 million for mental health needs of doctors, nurses and health care providers, who have struggled with PTSD and exhaustion during the pandemic: $80 million for health care professional mental health programs; $20 million for a national evidence-based education and awareness campaign targeting health care professionals and first responders; $40 million for grants for health care providers to promote mental and behavioral health among their health professional workforce.
$140 million for youth mental health.
