Last week, New York City Public Advocate Jumaane D. Williams called for the city and state to make use of mental health incident review panels, following the laws in place rather than pushing for new ones which could do more harm than good. Comments from the mayor over the weekend appear to make it clear that the mayor did not understand the request or the law, so the Public Advocate issued the following statement in response.
“I have to assume that the mayor did not understand the practice or purpose of mental health incident review panels – it is the only explanation for his response. I know that this mayor has a long history of ignoring laws (and the truth) when not politically beneficial to him, but it is negligent of him not to use all the tools available to help people in need before demanding new, harmful ones. These panels – which again, have never been used despite over a decade of the state law – are intended to review circumstances, address missteps, and prevent future harm. This isn’t solely about individual incidents like last week’s shooting –it's about understanding how one gets to the point of crisis. To suggest that it is not helpful to trace the cause of mental health incidents is like arguing against autopsies because they can’t prevent the death that took place.
“We have to examine the spaces where people get left behind in order to make the changes that will actually help people get the services they need and protect public health and safety. The mayor has never used the power to request this review. Willful ignorance is not an option – either of the gaps in our systems which allow New Yorkers in need to suffer, or of the laws on books to help correct them.”
Under Mental Hygiene Law § 31.37, the Commissioner of the New York State Office of Mental Health has the power to establish a mental health incident review panel, either by their own initiative or at the request of a local government unit following a serious incident involving a person with mental illness. However, as affirmed in a February 5 hearing in Albany, these panels have never been requested.
The Public Advocate sent letters to both City Hall and Albany, questioning the mayor on why the city has not asked for these reviews in the past and asking the state’s mental health commissioner to convene one for a recent incident. Read more here.
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