During a public hearing this week, Randi DiAntonio, the vice president of the state’s Public Employees Federation union, told lawmakers that the number of beds statewide for people needing in-patient help had dropped to only 12 per 100,000 New Yorkers.
The Treatment Advocacy Center, a national nonprofit that focuses on mental health treatment, deems 50 beds per 100,000 residents sufficient to offer proper care for those with significant mental diseases.
Meanwhile, the number of workers employed by the state’s Office of Mental Health (OMH) has decreased, and many of those who remain are working extra hours to keep up. Last year, OMH staff clocked more than 3 million hours of overtime at a cost to the state of $128 million, according to DiAntonio’s testimony to lawmakers.
Despite a decrease in state-funded beds and the OMH personnel, the demand for mental health treatment has increased since the coronavirus pandemic.
“The pandemic will have a colossal negative mental health impact due to the many people affected, its disruption of most, if not all, aspects of everyday life, and its multiple waves and protracted nature,” according to a study published earlier this year in the Clinical Psychology Review medical journal.
As the report points out, “the COVID-19 pandemic has already been related to harmful mental health effects such as depression, anxiety, and traumatic stress in communities throughout the world. As the pandemic and its negative consequences, such as economic hardship, continue, more people will suffer similar results.”
There are an estimated 56,323 New Yorkers who have died as a result of COVID-19 and COVID-19-related illnesses, as well as an estimated 5 million persons worldwide who have died as a result of these disorders.
The epidemic has a wide-ranging influence on mental health, affecting people of all ages.
As a virtual news conference sponsored by Hudson Headwaters Health Network in May, Saranac Lake pediatrician Dr. Patricia Monroe spoke about the number of children she’d ever seen struggling with mental health concerns in her practice.
You’re not alone if you’re going through a rough patch right now. In addition to checking in with loved ones, there are skilled specialists who can assist you in times of need. This area has materials available.
Saranac Lake’s Adirondack Medical Center is one of only four mental institutions in New York’s North Country region, according to the state’s Department of Health. Essex County Mental Health, Citizen Advocates and Franklin County Community Services, to mention a few, offer a wide range of mental health support services.
Recovery from the epidemic is essential. Mental health issues should not be overlooked throughout the pandemic. State legislators should listen to mental health professionals and guarantee that they have the resources necessary to satisfy the increased demand for their services.