 |
  |
 |
||||||||
 |
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
||||||||
 | ||
|  Division of Mental HygieneMental Health ServicesAlert To Mental Health Providers 06-25-08 Page Contents
MissionThe New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH), Division of Mental Hygiene Services (Division or DMH), is responsible for administering contracting actions related to mental health services for adults, adolescents and Children. Responsibilities include analyzing issues and problems related to adult and children's services, and collaborating with the staff of other City and State agencies, as well as other Division offices to monitors the operations of the Adult Single Point of Access (SPOA) for case management and Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) services, coordinates case management and ACT programs, and administers the Assisted Outpatient Treatment (AOT) program. The Division also monitors the operations of the Children's Single Point of Access (CSPOA) for intensive services, which includes the Children's Home and Community Based Waiver Program, case management programs, family based treatment programs and community residences. The Service SystemTwo governmental offices in New York City, the New York City DOHMH and the New York State Office of Mental Health/NYC Field Office (SOMH), have primary responsibility for the planning, development, funding, and monitoring of services for people with mental illness who reside in NYC. The DOHMH, through its DMH, is responsible for the planning, development, solicitation, funding, and monitoring of a wide range of mental health services for children and adults with mental illnesses and/or functional impairments. The services are provided by not-for-profit community-based agencies and hospitals in the five boroughs. DMH contracts with or oversees providers offering the following services: clinic programs for children, adults, and the elderly; assertive community treatment (ACT); clubhouses; advocacy; supported housing; supportive, intensive, and blended case management; assisted competitive employment; information and referral; on-site school services; home based and mobile crisis intervention. SOMH promotes the mental health of all New Yorkers with a particular focus on recovery-oriented services for adults with serious mental illness and children with serious emotional disturbances. The SOMH primary functions are the promotion of public mental health through education and advocacy, and the regulatory oversight of more than 2,500 mental health programs operated by local governments and private agencies around the State. The services provided by these programs include inpatient, outpatient, emergency, residential, and community support. Special InitiativesDepression Screening The DOHMH's Take Care New York (TCNY) Initiative is a public health policy that prioritizes actions to help individuals, health care providers, and New York City as a whole to improve health. Depression has been identified as one of the key areas for intervention because it is prevalent, has a substantial disease burden, and is often undetected and untreated despite the availability of effective treatment. Appropriate care is seldom achieved due to the fact that depression care has lacked a measure of performance, has faced systems barriers, issues of stigma and cultural bias, and encountered fiscal challenges. Primary care physicians are the initial point of service for the health care needs of most Americans, and, thus, need to play a key role in ensuring that appropriate screening, treating, and monitoring of depression is available to those who need it. For more information on the Depression Screening initiative, click here. NY/NY III Much needed housing programs, including congregate and scattered site supported housing programs, continue to be developed by the Division in collaboration with the SOMH. In November 2005 the City and The State of New York entered into the third New York/New York Agreement to create 9,000 units of permanent housing in New York City over the next 10 years. NY/NY III targets a broader range of populations than the two previous agreements that better reflects the population of chronically homeless in the streets and shelters. The new agreement includes units for persons with substance abuse disorders; persons with HIV/AIDS who are suffering from mental illness or co-occurring mental illness and chemical abuse (MICA); families with a disabled head of household due to mental illness; young people aging out of foster care; and adults with histories of serious and persistent mental illness and homelessness. For more information on the NY/NY III initiative, click here. Publications
Community ParticipationThe Division works collaboratively with mental health system stakeholders, including, but not limited to, consumers, providers, advocates, and family members. Increasingly, the Division has been providing and promoting opportunities for consumer and family participation in the planning and evaluation of its initiatives and activities. The Office of Mental Health Community Liaison The Bureau of Community Liaison and Training, Office of Mental Health Community Liaison is responsible to sustain effective DMH relations with mental health consumers, advocates, service providers, and governmental and not-for-profit organizations involved in the planning, advocacy, evaluation, and funding of mental health services. The Office of Mental Health Community Liaison strives to ensure that constituents' concerns and recommendations are represented to the DMH leadership for consideration and appropriate incorporation into program planning and other DMH activities. The Office of Mental Health Community Liaison is also charged with responding to inquiries pertaining to the delivery of mental health services in New York City. New York City Federation for Mental Health, Mental Retardation and Alcoholilsm Services Active citizen participation in the planning process is key to user-friendly services. In order to plan effectively for consumer-focused mental health services, it is important to gather information and get input from consumers of services, family members, advocates, community residents, and interested professionals. As part of the Division's overall citizen participation structure, the New York City Federation for Mental Health, Mental Retardation and Alcoholism Services has councils in each of the City's five boroughs that help inform the Division and the public about the costs, availability, and efficacy of mental health services. These advisory bodies work with the Division to identify community needs, determine planning priorities, establish necessary inter-program linkages, and advocate for effective prevention and treatment efforts. The public is invited to participate in the borough where they live or work. To find out more about the borough councils, call the NYC Information Line at 311, or to place your name on the mailing list and for borough-specific information, call the Office of Mental Health Community Liaison directly at (212) 219-5567. Active citizen participation in the planning process is key to user-friendly services. In order to plan effectively for consumer-focused mental health services, it is important to gather information and get input from consumers of services, family members, advocates, community residents, and interested professionals. As part of the Division’s overall citizen participation structure, the New York City Federation for Mental Health, Mental Retardation and Alcoholism Services has councils in each of the City's five boroughs that help inform the Division and the public about the costs, availability, and efficacy of mental health services. These advisory bodies work with the Division to identify community needs, determine planning priorities, establish necessary inter-program linkages, and advocate for effective prevention and treatment efforts. The public is invited to participate in the borough where they live or work. To find out more about the borough councils, call the NYC Information Line at 311, or to place your name on the mailing list and for borough-specific information, call the Office of Mental Health Community Liaison directly at (212) 219-5567. Contact InformationIf you have concerns, requests for further information, or would like to file a complaint, please contact the Department: By telephone at:
By e-mail at: For mental health or substance abuse treatment referrals call:
| |
 |
|
|
 |
|
|