Governor Hochul announced that all Medicaid managed care plans operating in New York State have improved compliance with rules for fair access to mental health and substance use disorder services, even as the Trump Administration rolls back enforcement of these critical protections. Among the plans reviewed by the New York State Office of Mental Health (OMH), the Capital District Physicians’ Health Plan, Inc. and Excellus BlueCross BlueShield were found to be 100 percent compliant with all regulations.
Governor Kathy Hochul today announced the availability of $45.9 million through the Empire State Supportive Housing Initiative, a program that funds supportive services to help stably house New Yorkers experiencing homelessness. As part of the FY26 Enacted Budget, Governor Hochul secured the first increase in funding for the program since its creation in 2016, providing significantly higher rates for these units, which serve adults experiencing homelessness, survivors of domestic and gender-based violence, veterans and chronically homeless families and individuals living with a mental illness or substance use disorder.
Office of Mental Health announced that the Empire State Plaza will host a public exhibition of work produced by artists from the Living Museum, an internationally renowned hub of artists who are recovering from mental illness at Creedmoor Psychiatric Center in Queens. Hosted in conjunction with Mental Health Awareness Month, the gallery features 60 reproductions and will be on display on easels at the south end of the plaza’s concourse level through the end of May.
The Office of Mental Health recognized National Nurses Week and the contributions of the roughly 2,200 nurses working at its psychiatric centers. The agency also announced that Maxine Smalling, OMH’s chief executive nursing officer, has received the American Psychiatric Nurses Association’s 2025 Award for Excellence in Leadership, which is presented to licensed professionals demonstrating excellence in psychiatric-mental health nursing practice, education, research, leadership, and community efforts.
Governor Hochul signed new legislation as part of the FY26 Enacted Budget to make major mental health investments for New Yorkers. Building on the investments from her $1 billion multi-year plan to strengthen the State’s continuum of mental health care, the FY26 Enacted Budget invests more than $196 million, including $160 million to add 100 new inpatient psychiatric beds on Wards Island in New York City.
Governor Hochul announced that $4.5 million in state funding was awarded to establish 10 new Youth Assertive Community Treatment teams, including five in New York City, two on Long Island and three in areas north of the metropolitan area. Administered by the state Office of Mental Health, the new multidisciplinary teams will support 360 additional youth with serious emotional disturbances who are either at risk of entering, or are returning home from high intensity services, such as inpatient settings or residential services.
New York State is honoring Taylor Locke with the 2025 ‘What’s Great in our State’ Youth/Young Adult Award, which recognizes those young New Yorkers with lived experience who have taken their personal mental health knowledge and experiences to make a difference in their community. Locke was presented the award Tuesday during the event in Albany and celebrated for using lived experience to amplify the voices of youth and young adults, especially those in the LGBTQ+ community.
New York State is honoring Deirdre Sferrazza, vice president of Children's Services at Greater Mental Health of New York with the 2025 ‘What’s Great in our State’ Lifetime Achievement Award, which is awarded annually to recognize professionals and volunteers who have shown a lifetime commitment to strengthening the mental health. Sferrazza was presented the award Tuesday during the event in Albany and celebrated for her commitment to improving children’s mental health throughout the Hudson Valley.
New York State honored the Middleburgh Central School District with the 2025 ‘What’s Great in our State’ School/School District Award, which recognizes education systems that have increasingly recognized the importance of supporting wellness and addressing the mental health needs of students. Middleburgh Superintendent Mark Place accepted the award during the event in Albany on Tuesday after the district was recognized for its focus on strengthening the mental health of students, staff, and the entire school community.
New York State is honoring Jennifer Thompson, a mother from Westchester County, with the 2025 ‘What’s Great in our State’ Family/Caregiver Award, which recognizes family members or caregivers who use their lived experience to make a difference in their community through their professional or volunteer work. Thompson was presented the award Tuesday during the event in Albany and recognized for her tireless advocacy for youth and for inspiring other parents with lived experience.
New York State honored the Clinton County System of Care with the 2025 ‘What’s Great in our State’ System of Care Award, which recognizes the coordinated network that are family-driven, youth-guided, community-based, and culturally/linguistically responsive. Members of Clinton County’s System of Care –Healing, Empowerment, Advocacy, and Transforming Trauma or ‘HEARTT’ –were presented award the award Tuesday during the event in Albany and recognized for taking a holistic approach and for establishing meaningful partnerships to improve youth mental health.
New York State is honoring Wayne County Community Schools, a nonprofit organization in the Finger Lakes Region, with the 2025 ‘What’s Great in our State’ Community/Organization Award. Representatives of the organization were presented with the award Tuesday during the event in Albany for their work to transform schools in this rural county into places where students feel safe, supported, and empowered to thrive.
Governor Hochul recognized May as Mental Health Awareness Month throughout New York, issuing a proclamation and highlighting the unprecedented investments made into strengthening the state’s system of care since she launched her landmark $1 billion mental health initiative in 2023. This funding has resulted in the largest expansion of capacity at state-operated psychiatric centers in years, the availability of more beds at community-based hospitals, and a dramatic expansion of outpatient and prevention services.
May is Mental Health Awareness Month in New York, which is a time to highlight statewide work to foster recovery and resilience, prioritize mental well-being and promote open conversations about mental health. Find out what is happening across the state to raise awareness of mental health issues and end the stigma.
Governor Hochul announced that the Safe Options Support (SOS) program has connected more than 1,000 New Yorkers experiencing chronic homelessness with permanent housing and stability. In total, the program has found permanent housing for 723 individuals in New York City and 285 individuals in areas of the state outside of the five boroughs, including Long Island and upstate.
Governor Hochul announced the award of 18 grants to expand resiliency and suicide prevention efforts among military veterans and uniformed personnel, including law enforcement, firefighters, emergency medical service personnel, correction officers and emergency dispatchers.
Governor Hochul announced that 125 new beds have opened at state-operated psychiatric centers over the past four months, boosting New York’s capacity to provide intermediate-level care to individuals living with mental illness. Opened statewide since December 1, 2024, the new beds represent more than a third of the capacity added at state psychiatric centers since Governor Hochul took office in 2022 — the largest inpatient expansion at these facilities in decades.
New York Attorney General Letitia James and a coalition of 22 other states and the District of Columbia today filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration for abruptly and unlawfully slashing billions of dollars in vital state health funding. On March 24, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced it was clawing back more than $11 billion in funding previously allocated to states for public health, mental health, and addiction initiatives – including nearly $400 million for New York.
Governor Hochul shared a breakdown of the Trump administration’s sweeping federal cuts to New York State’s health programs, and how these cuts to health funding will affect New Yorkers. The amount of funding lost will have a devastating impact statewide on programs that ensure the safety and well-being of people in New York, gutting over $360 million in financial resources toward mental health and addiction services, and health departments across the State.
The New York State Office of Mental Health today hosted an open house at the newly renovated community wellness space on the campus of the Bronx Psychiatric Center. The event was aimed at cultivating interest in and finding an operator to run the two-story 17,000-square-foot facility when the agency issues a request for proposals later this spring.
The Nurse Practitioner Association of New York State today endorsed the Governor’s FY26 Budget proposal to amend New York’s mental hygiene laws to grant psychiatric nurse practitioners (PNPs) the authority to initiate an involuntary commitment. Under the Governor's proposal, psychiatrists and other qualified clinicians, such as PNPs, will be able to admit someone to inpatient psychiatric care involuntarily, if appropriate.
Governor Hochul announced a $4 million expansion of the Community Mental Health Loan Repayment Program to include licensed professionals serving children and adolescents at programs licensed or funded by the state. Administered by the state Office of Mental Health (OMH), in partnership with the Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS), the funding will provide at least 400 awards of up to $30,000 to help mental health professionals serving youth repay education loans and student debt, provided they work a minimum of three years at eligible mental health programs.
Governor Kathy Hochul today announced awards to establish five ‘step-down’ programs to help adults living with co-occurring mental illness and intellectual or developmental disabilities safely transition back into their community following care within an inpatient setting.
Governor Hochul joined Common Sense Media to announce a letter to State lawmakers calling for the Governor’s “bell-to-bell” distraction-free schools proposal on behalf of Common Sense Media’s network of 80,000 parents, kids and educators across New York.
Governor Hochul announced that new network adequacy regulations for behavioral health services will now entitle New Yorkers to an initial appointment for behavioral health care within 10 business days of the request, or seven calendar days following hospital discharge. Under the regulations adopted by the New York State Department of Financial Services and State Department of Health, insurers unable to meet these timeframes will have to offer out-of-network mental health or substance use disorder coverage without increasing the cost for the consumer.
Governor Hochul announced the start of construction on 1760 Third Avenue in East Harlem, a 433-unit affordable and supportive housing project in East Harlem that is the first residential project to get underway using capital financing through her landmark $1 billion mental health initiative.
Governor Hochul announced the launch of a new Safe Options Support or “SOS” team to help bring stability to individuals who are experiencing chronic homelessness on Staten Island, including those with mental health and substance use challenges. With this expansion, the successful SOS program — which has now placed over 680 people in New York City in permanent housing — is now up and running in each of New York City’s five boroughs.
Governor Hochul announced $9.6 million in state funding is available to provide additional mental health assistance services for rural areas of the state, including a program dedicated to helping farmers, agribusiness workers and their families.
Governor Hochul unveiled the findings from New York’s first responder mental health needs assessment. The assessment was developed to better understand the mental health-related challenges facing individuals working in public safety fields and strengthen programs and services for these professionals.
The Office of Mental Health announced that a total of $100,000 has been awarded to community-based projects aimed at reducing the stigma often associated with mental illness. Funded through voluntary contributions made by taxpayers when filing their returns, the Mental Illness Anti-Stigma Fund tax check-off program provided $20,000 in one-time grants to support five projects spearheaded by community-based organizations located in each region of the state.
Governor Hochul announced that $10 million in State funding is available to offer a statewide Youth and Teen Mental Health First Aid program. The State Office of Mental Health will administer the funding to develop a training and certification program that helps New Yorkers identify, understand and respond to signs of mental illnesses and substance use disorders in young people who may be experiencing a crisis.
Governor Hochul announced, ‘Unplug and Play,’ a new effort to promote kids’ mental and physical health as a part of her 2025 State of the State. The Governor will continue to rebuild the state’s social infrastructure for children by launching a holistic strategy to help support parents in steering their children away from the harms of social media and toward positive activities like youth sports, arts programs, civic engagement, and community building.
Governor Hochul announced comprehensive new steps to increase law enforcement presence, expand public resources and strengthen mental health policies to make the transit system safer for New Yorkers.
Governor Hochul announced major reforms to strengthen New York’s involuntary commitment and assisted outpatient treatment laws as part of her 2025 State of the State. The Governor’s proposals will expand treatment options for individuals experiencing serious mental illness and strengthen policies like Kendra’s Law that aim to provide help to those who need it most.
Governor Hochul proposed new investments in education and youth mental health at a fireside chat with hundreds of high school and community college students. The proposals build on the Governor’s commitment to making the State a place where residents of all ages have access to the resources they need to thrive.
The Office of Mental Health announced a public exhibition of artwork produced by individuals recovering from mental illness will be on display at galleries in New York City this winter. Works produced by artists from the Living Museum at Creedmoor Psychiatric Center will be featured at the IW Gallery in Brooklyn this month and at FIERMAN in Manhattan until March, demonstrating the powerful role art can play in improving health and promoting wellbeing.
Governor Hochul announced the availability of up to $2 million to expand resiliency and suicide prevention efforts among military veterans and uniformed personnel, including law enforcement, firefighters, emergency medical service personnel, corrections officers, and emergency dispatchers.