Today, Assemblywoman Marianne Buttenschon (D-C Marcy) announced two new Office of Mental Health (OMH) initiatives to combat the ongoing youth mental health crisis in New York State and Oneida County.

"Earlier this month, I held a roundtable with community leaders, my colleagues in the Assembly, and various New York State commissioners. At the roundtable, we all agreed that the most pressing issue in Oneida County is the lack of supporting housing for youth when they are facing a mental health crisis,” said Assemblywoman Buttenschon. “I am pleased to announce after hosting the roundtable with local and state officials, two new OMH initiatives are available.”

OMH will be making $30 million of capital funds available for the purchase of new property, construction of new facilities, and the rehabilitation of existing facilities to develop Psychiatric Residential Treatment Facilities. Psychiatric Residential Treatment Facilities are voluntary inpatient psychiatric programs that will serve children and youth all across the state who need high-quality, trauma-sensitive, family-oriented, and evidence-based treatment.

“In addition to this important announcement, OMH has announced they will make funds available for 37 Flexible Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) teams statewide. ACT teams are vital in treating individuals who need mental health services but are unable to obtain treatment," said Buttenschon. This will be crucial to treating youth in Oneida County who are not able to receive treatment due to limited mental health resources."

All funds for these new initiatives come from the FY 23-24 New York State Budget, which Assemblywoman Buttenschon helped pass.

"I am proud to have supported these programs in last year's budget. However, more is needed to treat our youth who are in crisis. As we negotiate the upcoming State Budget, I will continue to work with my colleagues to provide more mental health services and build more Psychiatric Residential Treatment Facilities in the 119th Assembly District," stated Buttenschon.