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OFFICE OF MENTAL HEALTH ANNOUNCES $3.3 MILLION IN NEW FUNDING FOR MENTAL HEALTH PROGRAMS IN LONG ISLAND

Funding to expand community-based mental health services in Nassau and Suffolk counties

ALBANY, NY- The ���������� State Office of Mental Health (OMH), in accordance with the 2014-2015 enacted State Budget, has allocated over $3.3 Million in new funds for the creation and expansion of community-based mental health services on Long Island. These funds will enable counties to enrich their mental health services to ensure individuals have access to appropriate community-based services and supports.��

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“The development of community-based mental health programs is critical to the success of the mental health system in ���������� State,” said������������ State Office of Mental Health Commissioner Dr. Ann Marie T. Sullivan. “These programs will allow individuals with mental illness and their families to find high quality and accessible mental health services within their local communities.”��

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These funded programs reflect collaborative planning between OMH and the Long Island Regional Advisory Committee, which was convened to help expand and create more options for community-based care in Long Island.

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This committee included representatives from each county, as well as other stakeholders from the mental health community, who helped make recommendations to OMH of the specific programs to be funded in this region.��

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The ���������� State Office of Mental Health is funding the following services:��

• Nassau County-��$1,154,636��for the creation of two��Assertive Community Treatment��(ACT) teams, serving 68 individuals each. ACT Teams are evidence-based programs that deliver comprehensive and flexible treatment, support, and rehabilitation services to individuals in their natural living settings rather than in hospital or clinic settings. These teams have been found to improve recipient outcomes with studies showing greater reductions in psychiatric hospitalization rates, emergency room visits and higher levels of housing stability after receiving ACT services.��

One ACT team will serve individuals with significant mental health challenges, while the second team will focus on individuals who are re-integrating into the community after incarceration as a “Forensic ACT Team”.��

The Forensic ACT Team will serve individuals in both Nassau and Suffolk Counties.��

• Suffolk County- $2,149,200��for the creation of 72 Non-Medicaid Care Coordination slots for children, 18 Child and Family Intensive Case Management slots, three Mobile Residential Support Teams, a Hospital Alternative Respite Center, and a Recovery Center.��

Non-Medicaid Care Coordination��

The 72 Non-Medicaid Care Coordination slots are aimed at linking children with serious emotional disturbances, and their families, to the mental health service system and coordinating these services in pursuit of successful outcomes with continuity of care and service. While children with Medicaid may receive services from this program, it is open to all children and families meeting the criteria for service provision.��

Child and Family Intensive Case Management��

The 18 Child and Family Intensive Case Management slots will promote optimal health and wellness for children diagnosed with severe emotional disturbance. Through the provision of case management services, children and families will find linkages to and the coordination of essential mental health services and community resources, allowing children to live successfully in the community.��

Mobile Residential Support Teams��

Mobile Residential Support Teams will focus on transitioning adults living in supported housing apartments into community living.�� Many individuals who live in supported housing apartments have the potential to be hospitalized due to medical and/or psychiatric symptoms which can be prevented with effective outreach and monitoring.�� Mobile Residential Support Teams will visit an individual’s homes to help ensure that their basic needs are being met. These needs might include:�� adhering to prescribed medication regimens, follow-up with medical appointments and treatment recommendations, the provision of community support such as assisting clients with food shopping, development of leisure activities, and reinforcement of social skills to help them adjust to life outside the hospital and to more fully integrate into their community. ������

Hospital Alternative Respite Center��

The Hospital Alternative Respite Center will provide a viable option to hospitalization for Suffolk County residents experiencing psychiatric distress.�� In many cases, an individual with psychiatric challenges might not require inpatient psychiatric admission, but could benefit from a break from daily stressors in a non-hospital environment that supports recovery and allows for a renewed perspective and wellness plan.�� A respite setting will not only prevent avoidable emergency room and inpatient hospitalization usage, but also provide care in a less stigmatizing and low stress environment.��

Recovery Center��

The Recovery Center, to be located in Eastern Suffolk County, will be designed to help individuals living with psychiatric diagnosis to live, work and fully participate in their communities. This center will focus on programs that will build on existing best practices in self-help, peer support, and mutual support. These programs will also link the individuals they serve to community groups, organizations, networks or places that will nurture their passions in life.