For Immediate Release
Contact: Leanne Ricchiuti, Overit for Association for Community Living, 518.222.8073
November 20, 2023
STATEMENT
Association For Community Living Disappointed, Again
Governor Hochul is Disappointing New Yorkers with Veto of Aging in Place Commission Bill
(Albany, N.Y.) – The Association for Community Living (ACL) is disappointed once more that the Governor has chosen to veto the Aging in Place Commission Bill (A5119/S5178) that would establish a task force that would develop solutions to help providers better support residents who are aging in place in mental health housing. ACL has been advocating for this since last year, and has the support of Assemblywoman Gunther and Senator Brouk, and others, which has been invaluable. The Governor vetoed the bill last year as well.
“On behalf of our members, I’m disappointed that once again, this bill was not signed,” said ACL Executive Director, Sebrina Barrett who first brought up this topic at a Joint Senate & Assembly Budget Hearing on Mental Hygiene last year, and again this year. “There are thousands of residents living in our programs today with significant medical challenges, combined with mental illness, and the outdated housing models we are forced to rely on do not have adequate staff and resources to meet the need. When these models were created four decades ago, no one planned for this day, when residents, who are living longer, would require elder care. It is disheartening that this situation continues to be ignored by those who can remedy it.”
This bill would establish a temporary task force to study aging in place among mental health housing communities. As people with mental health illnesses age, they’re faced with additional medical conditions that require a whole different curriculum of care that mental health housing facilities aren’t equipped to administer. The most commonly reported conditions included hypertension, diabetes, COPD, heart disease, arthritis, cancer and dementia. For most of these individuals, transition to assisted living or a nursing home isn’t an option.
“We were happy to see the bill pass again in both houses this year, which is a true testament to the support, and undeniable need for this task force,” said Barrett, “We will continue to work with the Office of Mental Health, the Governor and the Legislature to ensure this dire situation is addressed.”
###