BPHA LEGISLATIVE CAUCUS HOST THE SEVENTH “CAUCUS CORNER” EPISODE OF THE 2024 LEGISLATIVE SESSION ON MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS MONTH
Today, Members of the Black, Puerto Rican, Hispanic, and Asian Legislative Caucus hosted a new episode of “Caucus Corner'' for the 2024 legislative session. Caucus Corner is an audio series initiated by members to discuss and analyze major Caucus priorities from its annual People’s Budget with policy experts and community-based organizations from across the state. Additionally, Caucus members are able to increase support for various initiatives and campaigns.
Listen to the program here on Spotify or on Youtube
In the past five years, an increasing number of New Yorkers have sought professional help for conditions like depression and anxiety. While this trend suggests that more people are taking their mental health seriously, a significant issue remains: treatment is more accessible to some communities than others, disproportionately affecting low-income communities and communities of color.
“Our theme for this year’s legislative session is ‘A Demand for Justice’, and that rings clear in the fight to make mental healthcare more accessible and equitable.” said Chair of the Black, Puerto Rican, Hispanic & Asian Legislative Caucus, Assemblymember Michaelle Solages, “In honor of Mental Health Awareness Month, we want to remind all of our listeners to prioritize your mental health and that we all need to take steps to break the stigma surrounding it.”
“We are in a mental health crisis, we didn’t have the investment and the workforce that folks needed before the COVID-19 Pandemic, and that really accelerated a lot of the ways in which we still don’t have the workforce that we need. We need to recruit and attain not only a diverse workforce, but a robust one.” said the Chair of the Senate Mental Health Committee, Senator Samra Brouk. “Right now, there are young people & people with severe mental illness who are waiting months & even a year to get the care that they need.”
“We created the AD 58 Mental Health Taskforce, because I know in my district, which is predominantly made up of Black and Brown Caribbean residents, this is not talked about. We need to destigmatize and decriminalize, but we need to do it in a holistic way,” said Assemblymember Monique Chandler-Waterman. “We must make sure there is money and resources coming into communities and be able to shape the programs in a way to support the people living within it.”
“We often talk about the clinical workforce and often forget that encompasses more than just doctor and nurses, but also community health workers and peer specialists and being able to elevate those position so they get the respect and compensation needed. This way, they can not only provide these critical services to support their fellow New Yorkers, but also be able to feed themselves and their families without worrying about where they are going to get their next meal and whether they need to get on food stamps, which 20% of our workforce currently is.” said Luke Sikinyi, Director of Public Policy and Public Engagement at The Alliance for Rights and Recovery.