BUFFALO, NY (WKBW) — Governor Kathy Hochul announced $5.1 million to establish school-based mental health clinics and that includes some Western New York schools.
Hochul handed out the first round of funding at a New York City School Thursday.
"138 schools and you're the first one to receive this,” declared Governor Hochul.
Flanked by a youth mental health crisis, the Governor noted this first batch of funding is part of a larger $1 billion landmark plan by the state to overall and transform the state’s mental health care system.
“We're going to look at this as seed money, find out what more they need, and look at it in the next budget as well,” Hochul remarked.
Hochul hosted a round table with some New York City students as part of her announcement for the school funding saying three years after the pandemic, students continue to struggle.
“The pandemic was really, really impactful,” stated a student who participated.
“I didn't know how to handle my emotions,” reflected another student.
“I feel like there's a stigma around it or you're a weak person if you go and seek therapy,” described a third student panelist.
Governor Hochul says numbers surrounding the youth mental health crisis are "astronomical".
“Statistics are so alarming. The number of young people contemplating suicide. The number of young people feeling depression,” noted Governor Hochul.
“We know that we have a mental health crisis among our school-age populations pre-COVID didn't cause this. COIVD made it worse,” stated Michael Cornell, superintend, Hamburg Central Schools.
Nearly 30 schools in Western New York will receive this first batch of funding for mental health clinics including the Akron, Alden, Amherst, and Cleveland Hill school districts.
Cornell, who also serves as president of the Erie Niagara Superintendents Association told me how some districts secured this funding.
“In this case, these grants came from the state Office of Mental Health, so it was actually the behavioral health community who made the application and brought along a school partner as a way for them to access grant funding – that’s my understanding of the way the path to the funding worked,” replied Cornell.
I informed the Alden superintendent that Alden Primary School was awarded funding. He told me he was unaware and Cleveland Hill's superintendent emailed me a message saying he wasn't aware, but "this is great news that New York State is investing in mental health."
Cornell couldn't agree more.
"Every one of society's challenges walks into the schoolhouse door every single day,” responded Cornell.
