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PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Alice Bufkin, Associate Executive Director of Policy at Citizens Committee for Children
4:24:28
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113 sec
Alice Bufkin from Citizens Committee for Children testified on the importance of supporting mental health services for children and adolescents in New York City. She focused on the need for sustainable funding for mental health programs and expansion of school-based mental health clinics.
- Urged for $5 million baseline funding for the mental health continuum program
- Advocated for $3,750,000 investment to expand capacity of existing school-based mental health clinics
- Called for restoration of cuts to city council's mental health initiatives and a 3% increase to match the citywide human services COLA initiative
Alice Bufkin
4:24:28
afternoon.
4:24:28
My name is Alice Buffkin.
4:24:30
I'm the associate executive director of policy at Citizens Committee for Children.
4:24:33
Thank you chairs and members of the committee for holding today's hearing.
4:24:36
I'm gonna focus my attention on city investments that are necessary support for supporting the mental health needs of children and adolescents in New York.
4:24:44
I first wanna thank the council for being such champions for the mental health continuum, and we were glad to see that funding for the continuum was included for one year in the executive budget.
4:24:53
However, as you know, this one year funding makes it impossible for this program to be fully sustainable.
4:24:58
We join other advocates in urging the council and the administration to ensure that $5,000,000 for the continuum is baseline.
4:25:05
I also want to thank the council for uplifting the importance of school based mental health clinics and supporting an investment of $3,750,000 to expand the capacity of existing clinics to serve the student population.
4:25:16
These on-site clinics offer psychiatric evaluations, provide individual family and group counseling, and so much more.
4:25:22
They help address mental health challenges and reduce punitive practices like detention and suspension.
4:25:27
These clinics also struggle to keep their doors open because some of the most important services they provide are not reimbursed.
4:25:32
$3,750,000 would enable up to 50 schools to provide comprehensive wraparound services for students.
4:25:38
Flexible funding could include hiring an after school social worker for the clinic, hiring a family peer support worker, and numerous other targeted approaches that would help clinics keep their doors open and reach the entire school community.
4:25:49
Finally, I wanna join advocates including my fellow panelists from Northside who uplifted so many critical programs that are funded through the city council's mental health initiatives.
4:25:57
These initiatives have always been an essential backbone for community based behavioral health in the city, offering the kind of targeted and flexible services that you rarely get from state and federal sources.
4:26:07
Unfortunately, these initiatives experienced a significant cut back in fiscal year twenty four, much of which was not restored.
4:26:13
So we urge you to not only restore the previous year's cuts but also to provide a 3% increase to match the citywide human services COLA initiative.
4:26:20
Thank you.