New York City Public Advocate Jumaane D. Williams — a former member of the NYC Council from Brooklyn's 45th district — raised questions about the policies of a new mental health initiative announced by Mayor Eric Adams and his administration last week.
On Nov. 29, Mayor Eric Adams announced a new initiative that would allow NYC authorities to involuntarily hospitalize individuals with severe and untreated mental illness, among other strategies.
In a letter to the Adams administration, Williams raised several questions concerning the implementation plan, level of investment and intentions of the initiative.
In the letter, Williams brought up how there were no established guidelines for removing individuals for the purpose of mental health evaluations. Additionally, Williams inquired about how the City will properly train NYPD officers and EMS to recognize individuals needing involuntary hospitalization and what protections individuals will have against potentially excessive force amidst these removals.
Williams also questioned how the initiative will handle the medical bills of hospitalized New Yorkers. The public advocate inquired if the City would be covering the bills of detained individuals, or if those hospitalized would be expected to pay through insurance or out of pocket.
Amidst a psychiatric bed shortage, Williams also asked how the City would be able to ensure a sufficient amount of beds to accommodate people that are involuntarily hospitalized.
Other concerns Williams shined a light on included housing, as well as the distribution of funding for an initiative like this, among other concerns.
“I know we agree on the need to address the mental health crisis in our city and related issues, I trust we also agree that we cannot treat mental health or homelessness as simply law enforcement issues,” wrote Williams in his letter.
“There has been widespread and understandable confusion and alarm among New Yorkers in the wake of your announcement on Nov. 29, including from people who may share a goal of treating the mental health crisis but believe that the proposed methods that had the most clarity do not meet the practical constraints or ethical guidelines for care and continuum of care we must set for the city.”
To read NYC Public Advocate Williams' full letter, click here.
