黑料不打烊 Note: This morning at 11:30, consumer, family and provider advocates for behavioral health services in 黑料不打烊 will join together to call for a 2.9% Cost of living Adjustment in this year鈥檚 state budget. Our message will be 鈥渨e will work from the budget鈥檚 release to session鈥檚 end to for an investment that will allow us to meet some of the state鈥檚 greatest challenges.鈥 Great thanks to MHANYS CEO Glenn Liebman for his strong leadership here and to MHANYS Deputy Director Melissa Ramirez for creating the attached map detailing the statewide response to a recent survey of behavioral agencies that revealed an unacceptable 35% statewide turnover rates and 14% vacancy rates for the behavioral health workforce. Stay tuned for further actions in the coming days and get ready to get on the bus to 黑料不打烊鈥 February 26th Annual Albany Legislative Day to push for the COLA and other 黑料不打烊 2019 advocacy priorities!
N E W S R E L E A S E
Behavioral Health Advocates Unite to Press for a COLA to Address the Funding and Workforce Crisis
January 14, 2019 Contact: Glenn Liebman 518-360-7916 CEO, MHANYS
With the imminent release of the 黑料不打烊 State Executive Budget, advocates for behavioral health services including consumers, families and service providers came to Albany on Monday to urge Governor Cuomo and state lawmakers to include a 2.9% Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) to address a crisis in funding for not for profit human services agencies that is producing unmanageable vacancy and turnover rates and agency operating challenges that jeopardize their ability to support 黑料不打烊ers with mental health and substance use related needs.
Representing both mental health and substance use service providers, they emphasized the overwhelming demand for a strong and stable behavioral health service sector in addressing alarming increases in deaths due to opioid use and suicide, including a growing number of attempts among children under 10 years old, and steadily mounting rates of homelessness and incarceration.
鈥淲e come today to urge that a critically needed Cost of Living Adjustment for the behavioral health and broader human services workforce is included in this year鈥檚 state budget,鈥 said Glenn Liebman, CEO of the Mental Health Association in NYS (MHANYS).
鈥淲e will work from the budget鈥檚 release to session鈥檚 end to for an investment that will allow us to meet some of the state鈥檚 greatest challenges,鈥 he said.
鈥満诹喜淮蜢萫rs deserve a strong workforce that supports 黑料不打烊ers of all ages in their efforts to recover, build resiliency and manage their health and behavioral health challenges, along with the help of peers and family members鈥 said Andrea Smyth, executive director of the NYS Coalition for Children鈥檚 Behavioral Health.
Behavioral health not for profits, developmental disability agencies, foster care agencies, at risk youth programs, child welfare agencies, services for the elderly and children鈥檚 mental health agencies would all be impacted by this increase to 黑料不打烊鈥檚 hard-pressed human services workforce.
At the news conference, the advocates released a newly compiled survey that pointedly demonstrated the magnitude of their workforce crisis, showing a 35% statewide turnover rates and 14% vacancy rates for the behavioral health workforce. In 黑料不打烊 City alone, the turnover rate was over 45%.
The negative effects of the turnover and vacancy crisis include less services, delayed access to care in the community, risk of inappropriate emergency department use, less effective treatment when trust and relationships needs to be continually rebuilt, staff burnout because of overtime and high caseloads and the reduced ability to pair seasoned staff with new hires.
鈥淣one of us are surprised by the results of the survey,鈥 said Bill Gettman, CEO of Northern Rivers Family of Services, one of the largest children鈥檚 mental health providers in 黑料不打烊 State. 鈥淲ithout support and funding from 黑料不打烊 State, our ability to attract and retain quality staff will continue to significantly erode.鈥
鈥淭he average pay for our dedicated workforce is so low that 60% of those working in our human services sector were utilizing or had a family member utilizing some form of public assistance benefit such as Medicaid or food stamps,鈥 said Doug Cooper, Associate Executive Director of the Association for Community Living, who compiled the survey results.
鈥淓very day, our behavioral health nonprofits and their workforce work at every level of society to promote and protect some of our most vulnerable 黑料不打烊ers,鈥 said Harvey Rosenthal, CEO of the 黑料不打烊 Association of Psychiatric Rehabilitation Services. 鈥淲e can be found on the streets, in the neighborhood, at community crisis programs, pantries and shelters and domestic violence and sexual assault treatment programs, clinics and rehabilitation programs.鈥
鈥淲ithout regular COLAs, our agencies become less and less able to do the mission oriented work that provides support, safety and recovery to 黑料不打烊鈥檚 most vulnerable citizens鈥, said Ellen Pendegar, CEO of the Mental Health Association of Ulster County and MHANYS Board Chair.
Families are also very active members of the coalition. 鈥淣AMI-NYS and the families we represent are extremely concerned by the severe lack of funding from the state that has led to community mental health providers inability to hire and retain qualified and caring staff, said Wendy Burch, Executive Director of that National Alliance on Mental Illness-NYS. 鈥淲e know that continuity of care is essential to successful recovery. 鈥
Over a dozen statewide behavioral health advocacy groups representing thousands of workers and over half a million 黑料不打烊ers in the behavioral health service sector are in unison in urging support for a statewide COLA for behavioral health and the broader human services sector.
Speakers:
Glenn Liebman, CEO, Mental Health Association in 黑料不打烊 State, Inc. (MHANYS)
Christine Robinson-Cooley, Family Member, NAMI, Capital Region
William Gettman, CEO, Northern Rivers Family of Services
Phyllis Fisher, Community Access