ALBANY COUNTY — Addiction and mental health problems have both surged during the pandemic.

On Friday, Governor Kathy Hochul announced funding and plans that would address both issues.

She and New York City Mayor Eric Adams held a press conference at the Fulton Street subway station to announce their plans.

“We have a common objective: We have to bring this city, this state, back from this pandemic,” said Hochul.

She urged New Yorkers to join the 3 million who have gotten back on the subways — still only about half of the 6 million New Yorkers who rode the subways daily before the pandemic.

“We will accomplish what New Yorkers deserve, and that is a safe ride on our subway system, at the same time recognizing the very real humanitarian crisis that has been unfolding before our eyes for far too long,” said Hochul. “Individuals who deserve better as well.”

She went on to say that the state will use “involuntary commitment for the highest need individuals.”

Hochul called this long overdue. “People who are suffering from the extreme symptoms can be a danger to themselves and a danger to others,” she said.

“We see New Yorkers clearly suffering in plain sight,” Hochul said, calling it “a cry for help.”

The new multi-pronged plan includes $27.5 million a year for in-patient psychiatric beds, $9 million annually to recruit psychiatrists and psychiatric nurse practitioners; and $12.5 million a year for 500 more beds to house homeless people in their communities.

Current Medicaid reimbursement for psychiatric beds is lower than for medical or surgical beds so the plan would increase Medicaid by 20 percent for psychiatric beds.

“You can have all the beds you want, but if they’re not staffed by professionals, it serves no purpose,” said Hochul, touting her $10 billion plan to shore up New York’s healthcare workforce.

She also said $10 million is “on the table for recruitment and retention” of psychiatrists and psychiatric nurses, including $150,000 for student loan forgiveness.

The 500 supportive housing beds are to get homeless people off the streets and out of subways and shelters into stable housing. 

The governor is planning Safe Options Support teams to start functioning in the spring to complement the 10,000 units of supportive housing she announced in her $25 billion housing plan. The 20 new SOS teams are to be made up of eight to 10 mental-health specialists to work one-on-one with homeless people.

Addiction treatment

Up to $1.5 million in federal funding under the Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Block Grant will be used to allow providers to expand telehealth services for addiction treatment.

These are services where patients talk to their healthcare providers through computer screens or smartphones.

The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the adoption of telehealth services throughout the state, which has made it easier for people to access the care that they need without traveling to a doctor’s office, according to a release from the governor’s office. This has been especially important in addiction treatment settings, which often require continuous, uninterrupted care.

This funding will help support providers who face challenges in meeting the increased demand for telehealth services and will further expand access to important resources across the state.

Each provider can receive up to $15,000 through this initiative. The application deadline is March 11.

Last June, Albany County Executive Daniel McCoy said of the pandemic, “One of the things hit the hardest …. was people with addiction.”

Halfway through 2021, there had been 37 confirmed opioid deaths in Albany County with another 13 suspected cases awaiting toxicology reports, which McCoy termed “alarming.” Fentanyl, he said, was present in 89 percent of the deaths.

He noted that in 2020, with the economic shutdown, Albany County suffered 99 opioid deaths, up from 62 in 2019 and 50 in 2017.

“We’ve gone backwards,” said McCoy, stating “Our opiate task force will be regrouping at the end of the month.”

Newest numbers

McCoy’s Friday morning COVID-19 release was upbeat as he reported 72 new cases bringing the county’s seven-day average of new daily cases down to 71.8.

Albany County’s most recent seven-day average of cases per 100,000 population is now down to 20 and its average percent positive rate is 4.2 percent. 

McCoy reported four new hospitalizations since Thursday so there are now 47 county residents hospitalized with the coronavirus — a decrease of five since yesterday. Of those hospital patients, five are currently in intensive-care units, down from seven on Thursday.

Albany County’s COVID-19 death toll remains at 526.

 “Our numbers are getting better and that is encouraging,” said McCoy in the release. “We have the lowest number of hospitalizations since December 6th and I fortunately have not had to report any COVID-19 related deaths in three days. Let’s hope we continue along this path.”

As of Thursday, 80.9 percent of all Albany County residents have received at least the first dose of the vaccine, and 73.5 percent are fully vaccinated.