newscrisismental-healthPutnam County Set Aside $2.1 Million for a Crisis Center. Two Towns Said No.For three years Putnam County tried to open a walk-in crisis center where someone in a mental health or addiction crisis could be seen instead of waiting in an emergency room. The Carmel Planning Board rejected the site in January, People USA sued, and the town settled for $150,000 this month. What replaced the center is a mobile team that will now run around the clock.October 12, 20267 min read
newscrisismental-healthNew York Is Adding Psychiatric Beds. Addiction Care Rides on Them.New York State and New York City are both buying inpatient psychiatric capacity this fall — 30 beds rebuilt in Syracuse, 40 added at Bellevue in Manhattan — while the state's 21 crisis emergency programs log more than 110,000 visits a year. For people with substance use disorders, those beds are often the only door open after hours.October 9, 20267 min read
newsmental-healthcrisisNew York Builds Its Own Crisis Line as 988 Restores 'Press 3'The federal option that sent LGBTQ+ young callers to specially trained counselors disappeared in July 2025 and came back on September 30. Albany had already set aside money for a state-run replacement, and the way it is being built says as much about federal risk as it does about youth mental health.October 6, 20268 min read
newscrisismental-healthNew York Bets $8 Million on Crisis Teams Without PoliceThe state Office of Mental Health is offering up to $8 million for four more community crisis response teams, including at least one in a rural area. Communities can apply for as much as $2 million each, but only counties left out of the first round are eligible.September 30, 20263 min read
newscrisismental-healthSAMHSA Awards $255 Million to 988 Crisis Lifeline—With New York-Based Administrator at the HelmThe 988 Lifeline has handled over 25 million crisis contacts since its 2022 launch. New federal funding will expand capacity as data shows 14.3 million adults had serious thoughts of suicide in the past year.May 18, 20264 min read
newsoverdosefentanylU.S. Overdose Deaths Drop to 70,000 in 2025—Lowest Since Before COVID, But New York Faces Rising ThreatsNew federal data reveals the third consecutive year of declining overdose deaths, yet policy changes and emerging synthetic drugs threaten progress in New York.May 14, 20266 min read
newsoverdosefentanylU.S. Overdose Deaths Keep Plummeting—But New York's Drug Supply Is Getting More DangerousWhile fatal overdoses drop nationwide thanks to less potent fentanyl and better care, New York faces a new threat from synthetic drugs more powerful than anything seen before.April 13, 20267 min read
newscannabismental-healthNew York's Cannabis Treatment System Is Collapsing Just as Youth Need It MostAs New York legalizes adult cannabis use, the state's treatment infrastructure for young people struggling with marijuana addiction is shrinking. Admissions have fallen by half in eight years, emergency departments lack linkage programs, and pediatricians aren't trained to spot the problem.April 8, 20267 min read
newscannabistreatmentNew York's Cannabis Treatment Admissions Dropped 50% While ER Visits Doubled—And Young People Are Falling Through the CracksCannabis treatment admissions in New York have dropped 50% since 2016, even as marijuana-related emergency department visits have more than doubled. Young people struggling with high-potency cannabis face a treatment system that wasn't designed for them—and the state is scrambling to catch up.April 7, 20268 min read
newspolicyopioidFederal Government Moves to Ban Synthetic Opioid Sold in Gas Stations Before It Triggers the Next Addiction CrisisFederal regulators are racing to ban a synthetic opioid that's been sold legally in convenience stores and vape shops across the country. The substance, 7-hydroxymitragynine—known as 7-OH—is a concentrated byproduct of the kratom plant that officials say is as addictive as heroin and more potent than morphine.March 25, 20268 min read
newsmental-healthfundingFederal Government Opens $69 Million in Mental Health Grants, Targets Suicide Prevention and Youth CareThe federal government is making $69 million available to healthcare systems, states, and community providers working on youth mental health, suicide prevention, and involuntary treatment programs.March 10, 20267 min read
newstreatmentpolicyNYC's Largest Hospital System Will Pay Patients to Stay in Addiction TreatmentThe city's public hospital system is rolling out a new approach to addiction treatment that pays patients small rewards for hitting recovery goals—starting with people involuntarily removed from the streets under controversial mental health laws.March 4, 20268 min read
