Local Legislators Secure Funds For South Fork Behavioral Health Initiative

Senator Ken LaValle and Assemblyman Fred Thiele recently announced that they have secured $175,000 in the Final 2015-16 New York State Budget in order to expand the ongoing South Fork Behavioral Health Initiative.

“It’s vitally important that we continue to provide state funding for crucial mental health crisis services for the East End,” LaValle said. “This has been a priority since the creation of the task force, who made recommendations and formulated a plan towards adequately addressing the issue.”

Last year, LaValle and Fred Thiele assembled a South Fork Behavioral Health Roundtable to discuss the growing mental health and suicide crisis facing school-aged children in the area.

“The amount of progress our community has made in addressing this crisis over the last year is incredibly inspirational,” Thiele said. “I am proud that Senator LaValle and I were able to secure additional State funding to expand the breadth and scope of mental health services in our schools.”

Since then, the legislators have been joined by Suffolk County, Southampton Hospital, Stony Brook Hospital, South Fork Towns, South Fork School Districts, Family Service League and other mental health care providers in securing funding, designing and then implementing a new, unprecedented community-based effort.

“This really is a testament to having State Legislators tuned into local matters and the hard work of Senator LaValle and Assemblyman Thiele,” Adam Fine, Principal of the East Hampton High School and regional advocate for enhanced mental health services said. “Given the wealth of other matters and issues affecting our State, it is unbelievable that our little corner of the State can receive funding, two years in a row. When government works like this, we can save lives.”

The officials secured the initial $150,000 of seed money in the 2014-15 State Budget, and were later joined by local partners in raising a total of $270,000 by the end of 2014.

This new $175,000 will help implement Phase 2 of the proposal, which will expand the crisis services and clinical staff availability established in Phase 1 and will establish a new Community Behavioral Healthcare Collaborative.

“These funds will enable us to continue our efforts to provide critical mental health services for adolescents on the East End,” Robert S. Chaloner, President and CEO, Southampton Hospital said.

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