FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 12, 2023
Contacts: Stephanie Millian, stephanie@anatgerstein.com, 929-623-0241
Anna Gold, golda@jccany.org, 917-403-4097
JCCA Statement on Inadequate System of Care for Young People Experiencing Mental Health Crises
(New York, NY) — Ronald E. Richter, Chief Executive Officer of JCCA, one of New York’s oldest child and family services organizations providing child welfare and mental health services, issued the following statement:
“At JCCA, we feel a deep sense of responsibility for every child who comes through our doors, yet we are hampered by an inadequate system of care for a small number of young people on our campus whose needs far exceed the level of support our programs are designed and licensed to deliver. These young people are with us because there is simply nowhere else for them to go. This is not sustainable.
These children are in crisis—and so is the mental health system that is intended to help them. For over a year, JCCA has been raising the alarm at every level of government about the growing level of needs among young people with complex psychiatric and behavioral diagnoses that cannot be addressed in our campus setting. JCCA has been advocating for an intensive services model that would bolster safety for our campus community, as well as for the surrounding community, and we will continue to fight for these children to get the support they deserve.
We need more long-term solutions to support children with the most acute needs, and our partners at the City and State level must support our efforts to address these challenges.”