Referred to:  The Health, Human Services and Housing Committee (Chair Walter and Legislators Corcoran, Erner, Lopez, Nolan, Petit, and Uchitelle), and The Ways and Means Committee (Chairman Gavaris and Legislators Cahill, Fabiano, Ronk, and Walter)

Chair of the Health, Human Services and Housing Committee, Eve Walter, and Deputy Chair Craig V. Lopez offer the following:

WHEREAS, this resolution has been submitted at the request of the County Executive on behalf of the Ulster County Department of Mental Health; and

WHEREAS, the New York State Attorney General has remitted Ulster County $229,241 in Opioid Settlement Funds; and

WHEREAS, one approved use for the Opioid Settlement Funding is to support greater access to mental health services and supports for young people, including services and supports provided by school nurses or other school staff, to address mental health needs in young people that (when not properly addressed) increase the risk of opioid or other drug misuse; and

WHEREAS, challenges maintaining optimal mental health and difficulties with the social determinants of health, significantly affect the ability of youth to attend school and succeed academically; and

WHEREAS, access to school-based behavioral health supports and services that have the ability to extend into the community, has been demonstrated to improve school attendance; and

WHEREAS, support services are particularly needed in rural counties where families are often unable to travel great distances to engage in office based services; and

WHEREAS, the County developed and released an RFP seeking to obtain proposals for behavioral health programming embedded within Ulster County school districts; and

WHEREAS, proposed programs will serve to buttress existing services available both in school and the community and provide intensive, time-limited clinical intervention and care coordination to Ulster County students; and

WHEREAS, this program will be a part of the school community at each of our 9 districts and act as a link between school, community, and family, with services targeted toward middle-school age young people identified by the school as being able to benefit from targeted support, brief intervention, and linkage to community resources; and

WHEREAS, this program will aim to promote overall wellness at school and home, build protective factors to offset the effects of trauma, and directly target social determinants of health to help make our communities stronger; now, therefore be it

RESOLVED, in order to implement the Mental Health in Schools Program, funding in the amount of $229,241 in Opioid Settlement Funds shall be allocated to support said program; and, be it further

RESOLVED, that the 2022 Ulster County Operating Budget is hereby amended as follows:

   INCREASE                                      AMOUNT            

AA.4320.2307-4300.4505     Other Professional Services                  $229,241.00

(App.#)

AA.4320.2307-3300.3486     State Aid, Narcotic Addiction Control          $229,241.00

(Rev.#),   

and move its adoption.

ADOPTED BY THE FOLLOWING VOTE:

AYES:                     NOES:    

Passed Committee: Health, Human Services and Housing on __________________.

Passed Committee: Ways and Means on __________________.

FINANCIAL IMPACT:

$229,241.00 - ADDITIONAL 2022 APPROPRIATION DOLLARS

$229,241.00 - ADDITIONAL 2022 STATE REVENUE DOLLARS