CSEA Executive Statewide Officers President Danny Donohue in touch with Work Force ISSN 1522-1091 Official publication of CSEA Local 1000, AFSCME, AFL-CIO 143 Washington Ave. Albany, NY 12210-2303 Danny Donohue, President STEPHEN A. MADARASZ The Communications Director & Publisher STANLEY HORNAK Deputy Director of Communications LOU HMIELESKI Executive Editor JANICE GAVIN Associate Editor Janice M. Kucskar Cathleen Febraio Graphic Production Specialists Beth McIntyre Communications Assistant Vice President Mary E. Sullivan Secretary Denise Berkley Treasurer Joe McMullen CSEA Region Officers Long Island Region President Nick LaMorte Metropolitan Region President Lester Crockett Southern Region President Billy Riccaldo Capital Region President Kathy Garrison Central Region President Colleen Wheaton Western Region President Flo Tripi Communications Specialists Long Island Region: Rich Impagliazzo (631) 462-0030 Metropolitan Region: David Galarza (212) 406-2156 Southern Region: Jessica Ladlee (845) 831-1000 Capital Region: Therese Assalian (518) 785-4400 Central Region: Mark M.Kotzin (315) 433-0050 Western Region: Lynn Miller (716) 691-6555 Headquarters: Ed Molitor (518) 257-1272 Jill Asencio (518) 257-1276 UUE UnitedUnion Employees The Publications Committee Jerry Laricchiuta Janice Mason Robert Pazik Theresa Reagan Ed Russo Debi Sherk The Work Force (USPS 0445-010) is published monthly by The CSEA Publication Office: 143 Washington Ave., Albany, NY 12210. Periodical Mail Postage paid at Post Office, Albany, New York 12288, and additional mailing offices. Postmaster: Send address changes to: CSEA, Attn: Membership Department, 143 Washington Ave., Albany, NY 12210 Readers: Send any comments, complaints, suggestions or ideas to: Publisher, The Work Force 143 Washington Avenue Albany, NY 12210-2303 CSEA online: The CSEA website can be accessed at: www.cseany.org The Work Force Nothing of “excellence” in Cuomo’s vague mental health initiative “State psychiatric hospital capacity cannot be responsibly and rapidly reduced without managed investments in community care.” - New York State Office of Mental Health Five Year Plan Based on this statement in the New York State Office of Mental Health’s most recent Five Year Plan, the Cuomo administration is not heeding their agency’s own warning. Instead, under a vague and misnamed initiative called “Centers of Excellence,” Gov. Andrew Cuomo is moving forward with the closure and consolidation process without having the appropriate community programs and services in place. Purely on a policy basis, this is ill advised for many reasons. But considering the human toll the state’s continued irresponsibility takes on individuals and families struggling with mental illness, it is shameful. No one disputes the need to improve the access and delivery of mental health care in New York. No one disputes the argument that more and better mental health services are needed in our communities. But no one should simply believe those objectives will miraculously result from further eroding state services and some political double talk about improvements. The vague “Centers of Excellence” proposal just continues the state’s empty promises over community mental health services while creating winners and losers in an absurd political game of musical chairs with state psychiatric centers, which provide the backbone of mental health services in many communities. Without any real detail, it’s impossible to put any faith in the administration’s claim that their proposal will make things better: • Eroding access to long-term care for people with serious and persistent mental illness will not improve mental health services; • Forcing families to travel long distances to other communities for access to children’s services isn’t a step forward; • Ignoring the reality of seriously ill people in need of intensive help ending up on the street or in county jails at local taxpayer expense because the state has shirked its responsibility and no other appropriate care is available is not making things better. We need an actual plan detailing how service gaps will be addressed community by community. This plan must include a recognition of the state’s obligation to provide appropriate long term and intensive care for people with serious and persistent mental illness. It would be foolish for the Cuomo administration not to utilize the experienced and dedicated state mental health work force to address this continuing unmet need. 4 The Work Force September 2013
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