NYS Office of Mental Health Holding Children’s Mental Health Forums Statewide in May

ALBANY, NY (05/06/2008)(readMedia)-- Office of Mental Health (OMH) Commissioner Michael Hogan will convene five regional public forums across the state during May for family members, care providers, advocates, educators, youth development experts and other stakeholders, to discuss and explore the social and emotional needs of New York State’s children, youth and their families. The forums, which are open to the public, will be held in Kingston, New York City, Dix Hills, Batavia and Syracuse [full schedule attached]. Underscoring the importance of the issue, Governor David A. Paterson has proclaimed May 4-10 to be Children’s Mental Health Week in New York State.

The statewide forums will enable those invested in children’s emotional well being to provide input into what will become the Children’s Mental Health Plan for New York State. This vision for the future will guide child and youth-serving systems in promoting children’s mental health, and aim to improve outcomes for children and their families by implementing strategies for early identification and intervention, effective prevention, increased access to services and supports, strengthened collaboration across systems and a universally skilled workforce.

OMH Commissioner Hogan said, “For children, positive mental health is necessary for school success and overall development. Healthy mental development is shaped first and foremost by parents, and for many children also requires the right supports in school and by health providers. But there are big gaps in child mental health care, and we see the results in school failure and even in suicide. Since less than one in four children with mental health problems sees a mental health specialist, our goal and concern is to have mental health professionals become better partners for communities, schools, other health professionals and parents. We need an improved plan for children's mental health in New York State, and this requires input from and conversations with people across the state.”

State Education Commissioner Richard Mills said, “Healthy children are better equipped to learn than children whose mental and physical health is neglected. So it’s critical that we create a framework for an integrated education, health, and mental health collaboration that enables teaching and learning. It will take a true integration of services to keep schools focused on education – and that’s precisely what the Children’s Mental Health Plan promises to deliver.”

Consistent with the Children’s Mental Health Act of 2006, OMH assembled a cross-section of people invested in children’s emotional well being including parents, caregivers, young people, early education experts, school administrators, community leaders, youth development experts, youth service providers, individuals from state and local governments, advocacy organizations, and other stakeholder groups. These individuals came together and developed a set of recommendations for the core of the Children’s Mental Health Plan. Their recommendations, which will be reviewed and discussed during the May forums, can be found on the OMH website at: http://www.omh.state.ny.us/omhweb/engage/next_step.html

Over the past two years, OMH has implemented or expanded innovative programs and services to address the emotional well-being of New York’s children. By utilizing a public health approach in these initiatives, OMH has worked to:

• assure early identification and intervention through implementation of Child and Family Clinic Plus;

• expand access to child psychiatrists through rural telepsychiatry;

• increase the use of state of the art treatment practices by establishing the Evidence-Based Treatment Dissemination Center; and

• provide targeted services to meet the needs of children in their homes, by expanding the Home and Community Based Waiver program.

The Children’s Mental Health Plan is an opportunity to continue these efforts in a more comprehensive and collaborative way. More information about the Children’s Mental Health Plan and the upcoming forums can be found on the Office of Mental Health’s website at www.omh.state.ny.us/omhweb/engage

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