October 29, 2024
The New York State Council for Community Behavioral Healthcare is a member of the Steering Committee of the HealthyMinds, HealthKids Campaign organized by Citizens Committee for Children in NYC. Today we are reaching out to our members with an urgent request for you to stand with the Campaign for HealthyMinds HealthyKids by adding your organization’s name to this letter.
Together, we are urging Governor Hochul to invest $195 million toward Medicaid rate increases for the children’s community-based outpatient behavioral health system in the SFY 2026 Executive Budget. We are also requesting an additional $800 million to implement a multi-year plan to address unmet needs.
Too bold? We don’t think so.
A study conducted by the Campaign and Health Management Associates (HMA) determined that at least 72% of New York children covered by Medicaid do not receive necessary front line community-based services. With the requested additional funding, New York State could add 1,300 clinicians to the workforce and serve 26,000 more New York children in the first year. New York could stabilize the workforce, address chronic provider shortages, and reverse course on unacceptable waitlists. That’s worth every penny.
We believe that New York’s children and youth deserve a robust continuum of services within their community, when they need them, before their condition becomes too severe. That’s why our campaign has brought parents, youth, and services providers together to advocate for CFTSS, HCBS and outpatient clinics and finally get the investment they need to expand access while paying their workforce what they deserve.
Rates for these essential upstream services were built on flawed assumptions around volume that did not reflect the cost of delivering this important and valuable service within home and community. The HealthMinds, HealthyKids budget request represents an opportunity to finally address this long standing inequity and deliver on the promise of unfettered access to community-based treatment and support for children, youth and families.
Stand with us. Please sign-on to this letter and share with your peers.