A federal judge on Tuesday approved a settlement that will overhaul New York’s broken children’s mental health system, after many were left waiting for care, at times, for years.
Families were suing over the lack of services for low-income children, with a mother and son from Long Island leading the charge.
Details of the settlement
The settlement requires the state’s departments of health and mental health to “substantially redesign their mental and behavioral health service offerings … guaranteeing timely, intensive care at home before kids reach crisis or institutionalization.”
Advocates say the decision is a huge turning point.
“I’m hopeful that this is really an opportunity for the state to look at really what each family’s needs [are] and to make sure our system is able to serve them without everyone jumping through hoops and waiting years for services,” said Kayleigh Zaloga, of the New York State Coalition for Children’s Behavioral Health.
The settlement requires New York re-evaluate Medicaid reimbursement rates — a key factor in the backlogs, as there are only 28 child psychiatrists per 100 children in the state.
Implementation of the changes is expected over the next few years.
Long Island family pushed for the major change
Cody Hauptman bravely spoke at a recent town hall about fighting to get mental health help through Medicaid.
“I struggled with mental health challenges early on. Sometimes, I didn’t want to be here anymore,” Hauptman said. “I just sat on wait lists. I was hospitalized more than 20 times, was handcuffed.”
He was taken away by police a dozen times before the age of 9.
“We were trying to get him services at home to keep him out of the hospital and he sat on wait lists. While he was on the wait list, he had his first suicide attempt,” said Christina Hauptman, Cody’s mother and a mental health advocate.
Cody and Christina Hauptman joined other families in taking New York to court, accusing the state of running an “inadequate, inaccessible, and dysfunctional mental health system for children.”
The suit claimed, “Too many children are stuck in a vicious cycle of repeated emergency room visits and repeated institutionalization, without receiving the intensive home and community-based services they actually need.”
William Gettman, CEO of Northern Rivers Family of Services, echoed the suit’s claim.
“The need is incredible post-COVID — 1 in 5 kids have had mental health exposure, suicide rates are astronomical. [It’s] a very challenging work load. We have staff that can find higher-paying, better jobs someplace else,” Gettman said.
“I am hopeful for all the children in New York and all the families”
The judge called the settlement urgent and gave Christina Hauptman a hug.
“It has been a very long road and I think I needed that hug,” she said.
Cody Hauptman, who is now 18, advocates for youth mental health and works with children. He said he is hopeful about the future and so is his mom.
“I am hopeful for all the children in New York and all the families. I think it’s a great day,” he said.
The settlement calls for implementation over the next few years.