[NYAPRS Enews] NYS Legislature Closer to Agreement on BHO, MH Budget Items

[Harvey Rosenthal]

NYAPRS Note: Yesterday's meetings of the joint Senate/Assembly budget
conference subcommittee meetings on both mental hygiene and health
yielded the following:

 

Mental Hygiene

*         State Hospital Downsizing: based on advocates' notes from the
proceedings, the houses have apparently reached agreement to

o   Suspend the one year facility closure notification for one year (FY
2011-12)

o   Require 60 days posted notice to the state legislature and the
respective county executive of plans to close, consolidate or merge
state facilities. 

o   Require 30 day's posted notice to the legislature of plans to close
a ward or convert to transitional placement programs. 

o   In assessing which hospitals are closed, OMH is also required to
consider a variety of factors of the impact of proposed closures on
service delivery in the surrounding area, the availability of workforce,
the impact on regulatory and accreditation standards, the cost of
downsizing, savings to be realized, the impact of such actions on
service capacity in the surrounding area. 

o   OMH can close "up to 600 beds" in the coming fiscal year.

*         Reinvestment: Requirement to reinvest a portion of the savings
has been waived for the coming year. Restoration of reinvestment must be
a priority for advocates next year. 

*         Aid to Localities Cuts: The $27 million cut to community
services is approved without restoration. This will include a
continuation of the 1.1% cut delivered late last year, another takedown
of a previously promised COLA, targeted cuts to Clinic Plus and
continuing day treatment and an unspecified cut to local aid that is to
exempt peer and children's services. 

*         Supported Housing for Adult Home Residents with psychiatric
disabilities: no public decision yet. The Assembly and Governor propose
to retain the previously authorized $41 million; the Senate has proposed
re-programming the funds. A possible compromise might retain half and
reprogram the rest. Stay tuned.... 

 

Health

*         Regional Behavioral Health Care Coordination: Assembly Health
Committee chair Richard Gottfried announced that the Assembly is moving
significantly closer to the Governor's/Senate's language on implementing
regional behavioral health care coordination via behavioral health
organizations (BHOs). This brings us closer to an agreement sought by
advocates to permit prompt establishment of the BHOs to produce savings
and improve care by reducing avoidable inpatient and ER visits and
improving post discharge follow up care. More details as we get them. 

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