The New York State Office of Mental Health today announced that the Daniel’s Law Task Force will conduct a meeting to review findings and discuss next steps. Task force members will review research, landscape analysis, and stakeholder input during the meeting, which is scheduled from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 29, and will be streamed live.

NYSTEC, the firm retained to support the task force, will be available at the meeting to answer questions on the information and input gathered over the past 14 months. Task force members have established core principles for developing a health-led crisis response system that will effectively address disparities and service gaps in the system.

Established in response to the death of 41-year-old Daniel Prude in 2020, the task force is charged with developing recommendations to guide behavioral health crisis response and explore avenues for related diversion services. Following its inaugural meeting in August 2023, the task force has convened numerous meetings, including some featuring presentations on different behavioral health crisis response models to inform their work.

Additionally, the task force has conducted several listening sessions, which have provided an opportunity for members to hear directly from New Yorkers about their views on enhancing behavioral health crisis responses. These sessions have also solicited input on the best practices for engaging individuals in crisis, with a specific emphasis on equity.

In-person listening sessions were conducted at the state University of New York at Stony Brook on Jan. 11, at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice in Manhattan on Jan. 18, and at the Central Library of Rochester and Monroe County on May 8. Virtual listening sessions were also conducted in November and April. 

Task Force members also entertained several presentations from experts across North America, including localities in New York State and Toronto concerning crisis response strategies and service models.