The New York State Office of Mental Health today announced $3.5 million in conditional start-up funding to establish 13 new Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics to provide integrated mental health and substance use care and help close gaps in coverage for New Yorkers regardless of their ability to pay. Administered in partnership with the state Office of Addiction Services and Supports, these awards will add six new locations downstate and seven upstate, tripling the number of clinics and greatly expanding access to person-centered, trauma-informed care for individuals experiencing mental health or addiction issues.

“Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics provide a place where New Yorkers can access integrated substance use, mental health, and physical health services in one convenient location,” OMH Commissioner Dr. Ann Sullivan said. “By expanding these clinics statewide, we can greatly improve access to these services and address gaps that exist in our system of care. Governor Hochul’s ongoing commitment to mental health care is ensuring everyone in our state can access critical services when and where they need them.”

Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics provide comprehensive services and coordinate care across behavioral, physical health, and social service systems. These clinics offer care to any individual needing assistance for mental health or substance use, regardless of their ability to pay, place of residence, or age.

First year conditional start-up funding of $265,000 was awarded to 13 service providers to establish clinics in six upstate counties, four in New York City and two on Long Island. The new sites will join 26 established clinics, which now provide walk-in, immediate integrated mental health and substance use disorder services for roughly 130,000 individuals of all ages and insurance status.

In New York City and on Long Island, conditional start-up funding was awarded to:

• Jewish Board in Staten Island
• Federation of Organization in Suffolk County
• The Child Center of New York in Queens
• Pesach Tikvah Hope Development in Brooklyn
• Metropolitan Center for Mental Health in Manhattan
• Family & Children’s Association in Nassau and Suffolk counties 

In areas upstate, these conditional awards were provided to:

• Family Counseling Services of Cortland in Cortland County
• CASA Trinity in Livingston County
• FLACRA in Yates County
• Access Supports for Living in Ulster County
• Family Counseling Center of Fulton County, Inc. in Fulton County
• Credo Community Center Treatment of Addictions/Thrive Wellness and Recovery in Jefferson County
• Horizon Health Services in Niagara County

Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics offer access to 24-hour mobile crisis teams, emergency crisis intervention, and crisis stabilization; screening and assessments; patient-centered treatment planning; and outpatient mental health and substance use services. These facilities also help connect individuals to outpatient primary care services and any other specialized services that may be needed, offering access to screening and monitoring; targeted case management; psychiatric rehabilitation services; peer and family support services; and intensive community-based mental health care for veterans and members of the armed services.

“We have worked closely with the Office of Mental Health to address mental health and addiction services by expanding treatment options, enhancing workforce supports, and implementing new initiatives to ensure that those impacted can access the services they need,” Office of Addiction Services and Supports Commissioner Dr. Chinazo Cunningham said. “These new facilities are the latest step in implementing a nation-leading system of care here in New York State and will offer New Yorkers another option to find the help and support that they need.”

With the first 13 sites established in New York in 2017, Governor Hochul’s expanded funding for Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics statewide by $14.7 Million in her FY 2024 budget. In July, an additional 13 clinics were certified, effectively doubling their number statewide.

The clinic expansion is part of Governor Hochul’s $181.6 million investment to dramatically expand outpatient services, which was included in her landmark $1 billion plan to strengthen New York State’s mental health care system. The latest awards are part of a phased expansion to certify 26 clinics by July 2025.

This includes expanding outpatient community-based services, creating new supportive housing units to serve New Yorkers with mental illness, and building-out programs that have a demonstrated record of success. The plan also builds on prior investments made under Governor Hochul’s leadership, helping to close gaps and ensure the system adequately serves the mental health care needs of all New Yorkers in crisis, including traditionally hard-to-reach populations.