Mental Health, Office of

Agency Web Site: http://www.omh.ny.gov/

Mission

The Office of Mental Health’s (OMH) mission is to promote the mental health of all New Yorkers, with a particular focus on facilitating hope and recovery for adults and children with serious mental illness or emotional disturbances.

Budget Highlights

The FY 2017 Executive Budget recommends $3.9 billion in All Funds appropriations for the Office of Mental Health (OMH), which represents a net increase of $28 million from the FY 2016 Enacted Budget. The Executive Budget also recommends a total workforce of 14,278 FTE.

The Executive Budget builds on Governor Cuomo's ongoing efforts to expand community services and transition individuals to more appropriate community settings. Specifically, the Budget will:

• Continue to Improve the Quality and Variety of Services. With investments in community-based services made in FY 2016, OMH has developed new mobile crisis teams, expanded clinic services, provided additional peer support services, and funded additional supported housing units throughout the State. The expansion in community investments since FY 2015 has resulted in 7,500 new individuals receiving services and funded nearly 850 supported housing beds. This funding also was used to support rental subsidies for over 14,000 supported housing units statewide. The success of these community investments has resulted in the reduction of over 400 unnecessary, vacant inpatient beds.
• Invest $16 million in Additional Community Services. Building upon the community reinvestments funded in the FY 2016 Enacted Budget, this additional annual investment will be used to expand a variety of community services based on regional needs reflecting stakeholder input, and are expected to reduce the need for more costly inpatient beds.
• Expand Services for Children. The Budget proposes to provide six new "State Plan" Medicaid services for children: crisis intervention, community psychiatric support and treatment, psychosocial rehabilitation services, family peer support services, youth peer training and support services, and services from other licensed practitioners. These new services focus on earlier intervention for children experiencing behavioral health issues, helping to keep children with their families, thus preventing the need for more costly, high-intensity services and out-of-home placements.
• Invest $1 million in the Raise the Age initiative. OMH will provide additional staffing resources to provide mental health services to support minors who, in 2016, will be relocating from several rehabilitation facilities to a single separate juvenile facility. OMH will work with the Office for Children and Family Services (OCFS) and the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (DOCCS) on this effort.
• Develop Jail-Based Restoration (JBR) units for felony-level defendants being restored to competency while they await trial. These units will be operated in counties that volunteer to participate and will be maintained as separate residential units within the jail. This program has been identified as a best practice by the National Judicial College, and has been implemented in 10 other states with well-documented success. This program will also result in reduced operational costs for the State and participating counties.
• Provide Clinical Services for OMH Long Term Care Patients Moving to Skilled Nursing Facilities or Managed Long Term Care Programs. OMH will utilize either a Managed Long Term Care (MLTC) Program with wrap-around community support, or a Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) to serve approximately 100 long-term care patients. This initiative will ensure that a population that needs both long-term and mental health services can receive care in more appropriate settings.
• The Executive Budget continues longstanding flexibility in the delivery of services operated, funded, or approved by various State agencies, including OMH, OPWDD, OASAS and DOH. Specifically, the Budget includes legislation that exempts certain individuals from unnecessary licensing requirements, as appropriate safeguards are already in place to protect the vulnerable persons they serve.

For more information on this agency's budget recommendations located in the Executive Budget Briefing Book, click on the following link:

Briefing Book – Mental Hygiene (PDF)

Note: Most recent estimates as of 01/13/2016

Click for additional detailed appropriation tables