Chair Cabán opening remarks on mental health budget priorities

Thank you very much.

Good afternoon, everyone.

I'm Councilmember Tiffany Caban, Chair of the New York City Council's Committee on Mental Health.

Health and Substance Use.

Thank you for attending today's hearing on the city's fiscal 2027 executive budget for the mental hygiene portion of the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, or DOHMH.

I would like to thank Finance Chair Lee for holding this executive budget hearing with my committee and also Dr.

Martin and your team for testifying today.

In the fiscal 2027 exec budget, DOHMH mental hygiene's proposed operating budget is $923.1 million, of which $63.2 million is spent on

personnel services for 563 budgeted positions.

The budget also includes nearly $860 million for other than personnel services, most of which covers 377 mental hygiene contracts.

So the net change of $67.7 million in the DOHMH mental hygiene fiscal 2027 exec budget compared to the fiscal 2027 prelim budget,

I think, is mainly due to a baseline funding cliff for mobile treatment teams and DPHMH-funded clubhouses.

So, and I think that's important to point out and be clear about.

And the changes also include a one-time funding to support the Office of Community Mental Health and the newly created Office of Community Safety, as well as additional opioid settlement funding that the department received.

So the executive budget, it also includes an array of new savings measures focused on contract renegotiations, vacancy reductions, and anticipated underspending.

And I'm interested in...

hearing, you know, Dr.

Martin and your team, your testimonies on how these savings were achieved and whether they would impact operations.

One thing is clear, New Yorkers with mental health and substance use issues rely on all of us to advocate for them and allow them with adequate resources to continue receiving services and care that they need.

And I do want to ensure that the city doesn't cut funding that will impact critical services.

And so the committee is going to focus on the following topics for questions today.

And that's going to be the DOHMH mobile treatment teams, the opioid settlement funding, the city supportive housing program, as well as JISH, the Justice Involved Supportive Housing, DOHMH relay programs, and headcount changes.

And I know that our chair, who's well-versed in this area as well, is going to focus on some other related areas.

But before we begin, I would like to thank the financial analyst, Aman.

Mahadevan, we gotta put respect on our names, you know?

And Assistant Director Florentine Caboret and Deputy Director is right for preparing this hearing and the committee staff, Sarah, Sarah Sucher and Justin Campos for their support.

The committee is just incredible.

They are the best.

And I would also like to thank my staff, Jonah Birch.

So I'm gonna turn it over to Chair Lee now.