Our emergency response criminalizes the sick, our streets and subways carry untreated trauma, and too many are excluded from support. The Mental Health First Act restructures crisis response, addiction care, and youth support across New York — pairing clinical teams with transparency and outcomes the public can see.

• Civilian‑First Crisis Response (STAR/CAHOOTS model). Statewide Mental Health Crisis Units staffed by clinicians + crisis‑trained medics. 911 mental‑health/addiction/homelessness/suicide calls route to these units; police roll only when safety requires. Pilots in NYC, Rochester, Syracuse, Buffalo (Year 1); statewide by Year 3.
• 911 Call Diversion & Triage. Standard statewide protocols; dispatcher training in trauma recognition and routing; continuous QA.
• Addiction Care Reform. Clinics must offer counseling, housing/job support, and taper plans — not just maximum‑dose handouts. Fraud audits; shutdowns for abusive operators. Expand MAT and peer recovery; track outcomes, relapse rates, and continuity of care.
• Transgender‑Inclusive Services. Inclusive access across all state mental‑health programs; enforce anti‑discrimination; annual reports via a Transgender Mental Health Advisory Board.
• Youth & Schools. Licensed MH professionals available to every public middle/high school; SUNY/CUNY training fellowships; regional trauma centers for at‑risk youth.
• Mental Health Community Hubs. Repurpose state buildings into walk‑in hubs: counseling, detox, housing, job programs, legal aid, and peer groups — at least one hub per region by 2028.
• Oversight & Public Dashboards. Quarterly reporting on budgets, overdose trends, response times, diversions from ER/jail. Governor’s Oversight Panel with rotating expert/citizen seats.

• Child Care Access. Stabilizes families so parents can work and receive treatment; aligned with emergency licensing fast‑tracks and fraud audits.
• MTA Overhaul & Safety. Co‑responder availability in top subway/bus call zones; publish weekly diversion and response‑time metrics.
• Flood & Disaster Readiness. Embed mental‑health triage and mobile counseling in disaster protocols; protect evacuees and responders.
• Property‑Tax Relief & Homestead Protections. Reduce costly crisis cycling and ER/jail usage; redirect savings toward community care and homeowner protections.
• Every Child Empowered Act. On‑campus counselors, peer hubs, and Academic Emergency Teams tie school recovery to clinical support.

• Day One: Require co‑responder availability in top‑50 call zones; interim guidance protecting trained peer support for first responders.
• First 100 Days: Stand up pilot Crisis Units; certify dispatcher training; launch regional hubs in at least four regions; publish the first statewide MH dashboard.
• Year 1: Expand pilots; fund school‑based MH access; start addiction‑clinic audits and compliance actions.
• Year 3: Statewide coverage of Crisis Units; at least one Community Hub per region; full integration with MTA and disaster protocols.

• Public Dashboards: Response times, diversion rates (ER/jail), overdose trends, clinic outcomes — updated quarterly.
• Independent Monitoring: External quality audits; citizen seats on the Oversight Panel.
• Funding Clarity: Line‑item visibility for taxpayers; clear mapping of dollars → outcomes.

• 1 in 5 adults in New York lives with mental illness; we cannot arrest or ignore that away.
• Homelessness, incarceration, and suicide rise when care is hard to reach or easy to avoid.
• Mental Health First means stronger families, safer streets, and dignity for every New Yorker.

This act puts Mental Health First — literally and legislatively. We will meet crisis with care, measure what matters, and rebuild public trust.