How Policy and Advocacy Shape Behavioral Health Care Systems in New York State

• By: Dr. Ann M. Sullivan New York State Office of Mental Health (OMH)
• July 29th, 2026
• behavioral health policy, crisis services, insurance coverage, Medicaid, mental health care, new york, parity, school-based mental health, Summer 2026 Issue
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Over the last several years, New York Governor Kathy Hochul has invested over $2 billion in strengthening all aspects of the state's mental health system. Transforming one of the largest public mental health systems in the country requires strategic vision. This process has been informed by...

What Looked Like Defiance Was Actually Grief: The Healing Power of Peer Support in Children’s Mental Health

• By: Susie Branagan, BSN, RN Susie Branagan Consulting
• July 29th, 2026
• children's mental health, emotional resilience, family peer support, grief and loss, pediatric behavioral health, peer support, school-based mental health, Summer 2026 Issue, trauma-informed care
• 475    0

Ten-year-old Marcus stopped talking after his father was incarcerated. At first, school staff assumed he was angry. Then they thought he was being oppositional. Over time, his silence became impossible to ignore. He stopped participating in class discussions. He isolated himself during lunch. He...