Office of Attorney General WNY Mental Health Hearing

The Office of the Attorney General is pleased to announce a public hearing on access to mental health care for people with serious mental illness in Western New York. The hearing will be held on Wednesday, January 18th at 11AM.

Attorney General Letitia James invites the public, advocacy groups, healthcare providers, and government agencies to testify in a public hearing about access to mental health care for people with serious mental illness in the Western New York region. The Attorney General’s first public hearing on mental health in June 2022 in New York City elicited a wide range of testimony, much of which was specific to the downstate region. In this second hearing, the Attorney General seeks testimony on the challenges to accessing adequate mental health treatment in Western New York, including crisis services for children and adults, and the interface between the health care and criminal justice systems.

On Wednesday January 18th at 11AM, Attorney General James will hold an in-person hearing at the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library, in the Mason O. Damon Auditorium at 1 Lafayette Square Buffalo, NY 14203.* Members of the public are invited to provide written or oral testimony relevant to this hearing. Please note that this is a regionally focused hearing and testimony will be limited to discussion of access to mental health care in Western New York.

Oral testimony for the hearing will be subject to scheduling constraints. Individuals who wish to provide oral testimony at the hearing must submit their request to testify, including a brief summary of the testimony they plan to provide, by the close of business on Wednesday, January 11th at the following web address: http://ag.ny.gov/mental-health-hearing. Written testimony submissions will be accepted through January 18th.

Members of the public are welcome to attend the hearing in-person. The hearing will also be viewable via the OAG website at: New York Attorney General Livestream | New York State Attorney General (ny.gov). Written testimony and a recording and transcript of the hearing will be posted on the OAG website at a later date.

This hearing is a public event, and all testimony is subject to public disclosure. Members of the public who wish to submit non-public comments may check “Make my comment “non-public” in the section of the form under “Comment Privacy.” Non-public comments will not be published on OAG’s website.

*Please use the Clinton Street Entrance (between Washington and Ellicott Streets) to enter the auditorium.