New York faces a behavioral health crisis requiring immediate action due to chronic underfunding and staffing shortages. Approximately 945,000 residents lack essential mental health services, while 90,000 need substance use disorder treatment. Medicaid funding cuts threaten to worsen already significant treatment disparities, especially among low-income and minority populations. With demand for care rising, staffing levels are insufficient, leading to decreased provider capacity and increased wait times. The escalating crisis underscores the urgent need for both financial investment in behavioral health services and wage increases for the professionals who deliver care.
Our behavioral healthcare system has seen protracted underinvestment for several decades, leaving providers struggling to provide quality care.
New Yorkers in need will suffer dire consequences without deeper, sustained funding for these life-saving services and necessary wage increases.
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