This bill requires licensed cosmetologists and barbers to complete an 8-hour mental health first aid training course before obtaining or renewing their licenses. The training teaches professionals to recognize symptoms of mental health crises (like anxiety or depression), safely de-escalate situations, and refer clients to community resources. It directly affects all beauty professionals who interact with the public daily, mandating certification valid for the duration of their license. The law aims to promote public safety by equipping these frontline workers with skills to address mental health needs and reduce related risks.
Relates to witnesses to a health care proxy; changes the witness requirement for the health care proxy from two adult witnesses to one adult witness; makes an exception for persons who reside in mental health facilities by requiring such persons to have two adult witnesses; includes falsely making or altering a health care proxy within the crime of forgery in the second degree.
Authorizes information in OMH's PSYCKES database and similar mental health databases to be disclosed to certain personnel engaged in shelter placement and support services; directs OTDA to establish certain protocols and to facilitate implementation of such provisions; directs OTDA and OMH to establish an oversight committee for such provisions; directs an annual report to be submitted by OTDA and OMH; directs OMH and OTDA to conduct a review of the effectiveness of such provisions.
This bill requires all child protective services (CPS) employees in New York to receive mandatory mental health services and resources. It specifically mandates access to therapies like EMDR, secondary trauma treatment, counseling, and informational support to address workplace stress. The law, added to the social services law, directly affects CPS workers by ensuring they have structured mental health support. The policy takes effect immediately upon enactment, aiming to improve employee well-being through concrete, accessible resources.
This bill requires New York's Department of Corrections to move incarcerated individuals diagnosed with serious mental illness out of segregated confinement or long-term residential rehab units (where confinement might exceed 30 days) into specialized mental health treatment units. It directly affects people in state prisons diagnosed with serious mental illness under specific legal definitions. The key provision mandates this transfer after consultation with mental health clinicians, while still allowing disciplinary hearings to proceed under existing rules. The law does not alter disciplinary processes but changes where certain mentally ill inmates are housed during their incarceration.
Authorizes former outpatients of mental health facilities to request a court of competent jurisdiction to render an order to have their files sealed when more than ten years have elapsed since the last treatment in such facility, they are not currently being treated for mental illness and it would be in the best interests of the petitioner and society to seal such record without the requirement of a special proceeding.
Establishes a support team assisted response pilot program in any city with a population of one million or more for the purpose of providing emergency response services for mental health, substance use and other non-criminal public health emergencies.
Establishes a master of social work paid field practicum pilot program to provide a stipend to students who are enrolled in a master of social work program for the first 450 hours of field practicum completed towards such masters' degree; requires the office of mental health to complete a report making recommendations on how to expand the pilot program to increase the number of social workers in the state, improve representation in the field of social work, mitigate student debt and improve labor conditions for social workers upon graduation.
This bill establishes the "First Responder Peer Support Program Act" to create a statewide grant program for peer-to-peer mental health support services. It directly affects first responders - including firefighters, police officers, EMTs, 911 operators, and correctional officers - by providing funding for local programs offering trauma-informed training and mental health resources. Key provisions include requiring standardized training on trauma, suicide prevention, and resilience; mandating strict confidentiality for participants; and prohibiting disclosure of personal information to employers. Grants are allocated to eligible local entities, with annual reports tracking program use without identifying individuals.
Imposes a duty to protect upon mental health practitioners; requires reasonable efforts to modify aspects of treatment in order to reduce or eliminate the risk of harm, initiating procedures for hospitalization, notifying the intended victim or victims, or notifying law enforcement officials when a person directly communicates a threat of serious, imminent harm to self or against a readily identifiable person or persons, and the threat includes both a serious intent to act and the ability to carry out the threat; does not require a mental health practitioner to take any action which, in the exercise of reasonable professional judgment, would endanger such mental health practitioner or increase the danger to a potential victim or victims.
