From Politico: “ALBANY, New York — Gov. Kathy Hochul shored up her public safety agenda this week when state lawmakers agreed to loosen the legal standard for involuntary commitment of the mentally ill — a major victory for the Democrat and a sign that political winds on the issue are shifting to the center.
The foundation of the new policy is that New York state will be able to authorize first responders to forcibly hospitalize mentally ill New Yorkers who cannot meet their own basic needs such as food, shelter or medical care.
Vocal resistance from civil rights and mental health advocacy groups long left many New York Democrats reluctant to touch the issue, but that has slowly shifted in recent years.
The shifting approach remains contentious, though. Assembly Mental Health Chair Jo Anne Simon said the involuntary commitment policy was inserted in the budget against her wishes, although she considers the inclusion of pilot programs and incident review panels a step in the right direction.
“The governor sees her proposal as a win, but I think, frankly, too many New Yorkers will end up losing,” Simon told POLITICO. “I don’t like the idea of compromise when that means that we’re doing something that I feel is fundamentally flawed. On the other hand, sometimes people need to see that it’s fundamentally flawed.”
Without significant investment in post-discharge resources such as housing and outpatient care, Simon said the expansion of involuntary commitment will have little success, as it only focuses on one part of the problem.”
