NEW YORK, JAN 11 – New York Gov. Kathy Hochul to unveil $1 billion plan today to address mental illness in the state, and pledges to dramatically change approaches to mental health in the wake of the Covid pandemic and its effects on public safety, children’s behavior and academic performance. As reported by the New York Times, Hochul will try to create new beds for people with serious mental illnesses and offer more mental health care to minors. The plan — which he will announce in his first State of the State address this afternoon in Albany — would force state-licensed hospitals to reopen more than 800 psychiatric places that disappeared during the pandemic, create 3,500 supportive housing units, and expand services. health services in schools, which have seen a sharp increase in children with psychological problems. “We have underinvested in mental health care for so long and allowed the situation to get so dire, that it has also become a public safety crisis,” the governor said. “This proposal marks a huge change – she added – to finally and fully meet the mental health needs of all New Yorkers”. (HANDLE).
(ANSA)
