Adequate Funding for Behavioral Health Services
Summary
State-sponsored treatment and prevention programs targeted to working New Yorkers (those not eligible for Medicaid or covered by insurance) have been significantly reduced. The availability of behavioral health treatment and prevention is essential to maintaining family stability and protecting children.
Conference Position
The Catholic Conference supports funding levels that will enable New Yorkers to access the appropriate behavioral health services.
Rationale
Based on our profound respect for the dignity of each individual, the Catholic Conference supports efforts to assist individuals suffering from serious and persistent mental illness or substance abuse in their efforts to participate fully in society. The promise of community-based behavioral health is that it offers the individual, through a comprehensive array of services, the opportunity to be a participating member of society. In order for the promise of community mental health to be fulfilled, State government must provide secure funding to enable the development and delivery of quality services.
A variety of factors, including cost, impose barriers on access to behavioral health services for children and families. When individuals are unable to access services through Medicaid or private insurance they attempt to access services through not-for-profit agencies. Not-for-profit agencies may utilize a sliding scale basis, based on ability to pay, but the fees never cover the cost of the services provided. In the past, New York has recognized the need for services to working families and has supplemented the budget of not-for-profit providers. New York must increase funding to ensure access to preventive and treatment services that protect children and families from the dangers of alcohol and substance abuse and mental illness.
You can download this document, Adequate Funding for Behavioral Health Services, in PDF form.
