Mayor Eric Adams has expressed approval of upcoming changes in state law aimed at facilitating the treatment of individuals with mental disabilities, highlighting these efforts as a response to rising crime concerns that he has been vocal about for three years.
The new measure for involuntary commitment, included in the state budget, permits authorities to intervene when individuals are deemed to pose a significant risk of physical harm due to mental illness. This means that they can be provided with essential needs like food, clothing, medical care, and shelter.
Previously, individuals could only be committed against their will if they posed substantial risks of self-harm or harm to others.
“Our advocacy has yielded tangible results,” Adams stated during a press conference at Fulton Street Metro Station on Thursday morning. “In Albany, achieving the ideal outcome takes time and multiple legislative sessions.”
Adams pointed out that the law’s ambiguity regarding who can be hospitalized for evaluation has been a concern for clinicians.
Since 2022, Adams has been advocating for changes to the involuntary commitment law but had not succeeded in passing any revisions in previous sessions.
Brian Stetin, a senior adviser associated with the new law supporting court-mandated mental health treatment, recognized the significance of Kendra’s Law and asserted that Adams’ administration has contributed to vital changes in unwilling commitment regulations.
“Thanks to Mayor Adams’ advocacy for common-sense solutions, even those on the progressive side have come to see his stance as a moral imperative,” Stetin remarked. “We need to safeguard the most vulnerable, even if they don’t realize they need help.”
Stetin acknowledged that not all of the proposed changes from the administration made it into the final legislation, but he expressed satisfaction with the progress.
Additionally, the new law allows a single laboratory doctor or nurse practitioner to recommend commitment, as opposed to the previous requirement for two doctors.
The practitioner must decide whether to proceed with commitment three days after the individual is admitted to the hospital, reaching out to the patient’s existing doctor if applicable.
The finalized law also mandates psychiatric centers and local social services to create discharge plans for individuals leaving care.
Adams appeared to kick off the celebrations a bit early, having been seen mingling with rapper NEM the night before. An Instagram story from Coney Island Music Maker featured Adams at a hookah bar, casually puffing smoke into the air.
