After the Trump administration cut the specialized crisis hotline for LGBTQ+ youth and pulled NYC school funding over the city’s policies supporting trans students, New York City Public Advocate is pushing the city to expand its own mental health infrastructure through 988 and other programs. At a hearing of the Committee on Mental Health, Disabilities, and Addiction, he emphasized the need for a robust 988 infrastructure that integrates with B-HEARD and other intervention programs.
“Fully funding the 988 hotline is crucial; a new study found that New Yorkers use the hotline more than those in most other states, ranking fourth out of 50 states," said the Public Advocate. "In New York City, Vibrant Emotional Health, the organization that manages the hotline, reported exceeding the number of calls and text messages outlined in its contract with the city. Additionally, as New York City has the largest population of LGBTQ+ adults in the country, the city should specifically advertise crisis resources for LGBTQ+ New Yorkers, and how to quickly reach services in an emergency.”
He also highlighted the burden placed on 911 operators, and the ways in which a lack of resources prevent B-HEARD crisis intervention teams from being sufficiently dispatched.
“When a person in crisis calls 911, the dispatcher who answers the phone is tasked with triaging the call and deciding the appropriate response; in B-HEARD pilot areas, this also includes deciding whether to route the call to a B-HEARD team or to the police,” he explained. “Though they have this huge responsibility, our city has failed to adequately support and compensate our dispatchers. Low pay, staff shortages, mandatory overtime, and insufficient training and support exacerbates an already stressful job.”
He closed arguing that “We cannot expect an efficient, functional emergency response system when the bridge between callers and services is neglected, mistreated, and often overworked. We have a moral mandate to ensure that no New Yorkers are lost to preventable mental health crises, including at the hands of law enforcement.”
The Public Advocate’s full comments as delivered are below, and video is available here.
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