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Q&A
Discussion on mental health continuum program in public schools
1:33:31
·
164 sec
Councilmember Narcisse inquires about the mental health continuum program, a collaboration between H+H, DOHMH, and DOE to provide mental health services in public schools. Dr. Mitchell Katz explains the program's features and impact.
- $3.6 million in additional city funding for fiscal year 2026
- Program provides individual, family, and group therapy for students
- Social workers and psychologists work with teachers to address classroom challenges
- Council urges baseline funding of $5 million to support program growth
- Current year-to-year funding makes long-term planning difficult
Mercedes Narcisse
1:33:31
Mental health.
1:33:32
The executive plan includes a one time additional city funding for of 3,600,000.0 in fiscal twenty twenty six for the mental health continuum.
1:33:41
This program is a collaboration between H and H and DOHMH and DOE to provide mental health services in public schools.
1:33:50
What will H and H's funding for this program be spent on?
Mitchell Katz
1:33:54
I invite members of city council to come and see one of these centers because I think they're really terrific.
1:34:02
They are focused on mental health needs and they do, they both enable us to see children who are having trouble in school, and importantly the social workers and psychologists who work in them will also go into the classroom to help teachers on how to deal with disruptive behavior or children who are having challenges in the classroom, which I think is often missing.
1:34:28
So you might have a wonderful psychologist who meets with a child and helps them, but most of the week is spent in the classroom.
1:34:36
Right?
1:34:36
You need to work with the teacher to teach the teacher how to handle the young person in a way that enables them to stay safely in the classroom.
1:34:47
And so these 16 centers both provide individual family group therapy for individuals and they work with the teachers, which I think is a particularly important part.
Mercedes Narcisse
1:35:00
So when you have the teachers, you don't have the Paris?
Mitchell Katz
1:35:04
On the You could have both, but yes, I'm thinking that, you know, you work with the family, help the family to deal with the child at home, work with the teacher, help the
Mercedes Narcisse
1:35:13
teacher to
Mitchell Katz
1:35:14
deal with the kid in the classroom.
Mercedes Narcisse
1:35:16
Okay.
1:35:17
So the parents are present too?
1:35:18
Is that a packet?
1:35:19
I know you don't have enough psychologists or psychiatrists to do all that, so I appreciate including the family because once you include folks, they more likely can manage at home.
1:35:30
Is a have to go home.
1:35:32
In our preliminary budget response, we urge the administration to baseline 5,000,000 for our mental health continuum across the three relevant agencies.
1:35:44
This is a program that has proved to be crucial for our students.
1:35:49
How would a baseline funding further support the program?
Mitchell Katz
1:35:53
Well it would help the program to to grow because we currently only have a year's funding at a time.
1:36:00
It's difficult for us to plan for future years.
Mercedes Narcisse
1:36:06
Okay.
1:36:07
You okay?
1:36:08
Alright.
1:36:10
I will turn it over to Chair Brennan.
1:36:13
Thank you so much.