November 20, 2024

As the NYS Council continues our efforts to secure commitments from the Executive to include our budget priorities in its ’25-’26 executive budget proposal, I wanted to share a sign on letter (attached) that we coordinated and sent to the Executive as well as DOB, DFS, DoH, OMH and OASAS leaders for their consideration.

The NYS Council has taken a leadership role as we push to protect and enhance services and support available to New York’s children, youth and families.  Recently we were funded to conduct this work by two private foundations who were interested in identifying and supporting an organization that has a strong track record of success on critical budget and legislative issues.  We are all too happy to perform this important work and we will continue to do so.

See attached and below.  MANY THANKS to those NYS Council members who signed on to this important sign on request!

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(cover letter to state leaders, sent 11/20 with attached doc)

Good morning:

I am writing today on behalf of the NYS Council for Community Behavioral Healthcare and our partners at Citizens Committee for Children, Families Together in New York State, the HealthyMinds, Healthy Kids Campaign, and the NYS Coalition for Children’s Behavioral Health to share the attached sign on letter that demonstrates broad support for our budget request that seeks to ensure the same range of services currently available to New York’s children, youth and families with Medicaid benefits are required to be readily available to New York’s children, youth and families with commercial insurance coverage.  
At the present time access to services provided through the OASAS and OMH systems of care is significantly restricted due to a number of factors beginning with a lack of coverage parity for New Yorkers with a state regulated commercial health plan. As such, we urge the Hochul Administration to take another historic step to increase access to a broad range of mental health and substance use disorder services for all New Yorkers regardless of the insurance card in their pocket.  We stand ready to support you in every way possible.  

Thank you for your continued leadership and dedication to New York’s children, youth and families.

Respectfully,

Lauri Cole, Executive Director, NYS Council for Community Behavioral Healthcare on behalf of Citizens Committee for Children, Families Together in New York State, the HealthyMinds, Healthy Kids Campaign, and the NYS Coalition for Children’s Behavioral Health