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Mental Health (MH) Additional Resources

The Suffolk County Division of Community Mental Hygiene’s Child Single Point of Access (CSPOA) Unit coordinates enhanced mental health services for children and youth (ages 5-21) who are at risk of or have been diagnosed with Serious Emotional Disturbance (SED) and their families in Suffolk County. CSPOA programs encompass both in-home and community-based residential levels of care.

The CSPOA offers a centralized, coordinated referral process using a universal referral form. The Suffolk CSPOA supplement to this application will be available shortly.

These services are provided for individuals with Medicaid who are living in the community and need help in negotiating different systems in order to better take control of their lives. The primary goal of these services is to help individuals successfully remain in the community while improving the overall quality of their lives. Care Coordination will help clients maintain their mental health and medical treatment with the goal of reducing hospitalizations and emergency services. Care managers will assist clients by coordinating services with mental health and medical providers, and linking clients to community resources to enhance the quality of their lives. For those individuals who do not have Medicaid or are not eligible for Medicaid, care management is provided for clients who are 18 years old, a resident of Suffolk County and who have a primary diagnosis of a major mental illness as described in the DSM. The target population is an individual diagnosed with a Severe Mental Illness (SMI) that significantly impairs his/her ability to function in the community without supports. The primary diagnosis cannot be a Substance Use Disorder, an organic disorder, or a developmental disability.

The APSOA offers a centralized, coordinated referral process, using a universal referral form which can be found at: https://www.suffolkcountyny.gov/Departments/Health-Services/Mental-Hygiene#SPOA/AOT

Health Home Care Management: Health Home Care Managers provide comprehensive, integrated medical and behavioral health care management to Medicaid-enrolled individuals with chronic conditions to ensure access to appropriate services, improve health outcomes, prevent hospitalizations and emergency room visits and avoid unnecessary care. HHCM services include health promotion; transitional care, including appropriate follow-up from inpatient to other settings; patient and family support; and referral to community and social support services.

Health Home Non-Medicaid (State-Funded) Care Management: This program code applies to former Targeted Case Management programs, for both adults and children that converted to Health Home Care Management (HHCM). These funds are available to the HHCM provider who in addition to serving adult Medicaid enrolled recipients with a Serious Mental Illness (SMI) and children with Serious Emotional Disturbance (SED) also serves adult non-Medicaid SMI clients and children Non-Medicaid SED clients who cannot be enrolled in a Health Home. These funds typically support the higher acuity non-Medicaid recipients by advocating for needed services, helping to find their way through complex health care and social services systems, providing support for improved community service linkages, performing on-site crisis intervention and skills teaching when other services are not available, and if the recipient is eligible, working to secure Medicaid benefits with the goal of subsequent Health Home enrollment.

AOT, aka "Kendra's Law", provides for court-ordered assisted outpatient treatment for certain people with mental illness who, in view of their treatment history and present circumstances, are unlikely to survive safely in the community without supervision. A person may be ordered to obtain Assisted Outpatient Treatment (AOT) if the court finds that he or she: is at least 18 years of age and suffers from a mental illness; and is unlikely to survive in the community without supervision, based on a clinical determination; and has a history of noncompliance with treatment for mental illness which has led to either 2 hospitalizations for mental illness in the preceding 3 years, or resulted in at least 1 act of violence toward self or others or threats of serious physical harm to self or others, within the preceding 4 years; is unlikely to accept the recommended treatment plan voluntarily; is in need of AOT to avoid a relapse or deterioration that would likely result in serious harm to self or others; and will likely benefit from AOT.

The AOT application form can be found at: https://www.suffolkcountyny.gov/Departments/Health-Services/Mental-Hygiene#SPOA/AOT

There are various agencies that provide services to victims of trauma such as physical, verbal, and sexual violence and/or neglect. Services include support groups, counseling, advocacy, referral and information. There are agencies that also provide shelter for individuals experiencing domestic/ family violence.

For information on the specific agencies that provide these services, please refer to the 2022 Suffolk County Directory of Behavioral Health Services: https://www.suffolkcountyny.gov/mh-services

Peer Support and Self-Help Services include individual or systems advocacy, low-demand drop-in centers, recovery-oriented psychosocial clubs, mutual support groups and networks, and formal educational, recreational or social organizations.

For more information about these different types of services, please refer to the NYS Office of Mental Health website, Find a Program link: https://my.omh.ny.gov/bi/pd/saw.dll?PortalPages#20

For information on the specific agencies that provide these services, please refer to the 2022 Suffolk County Directory of Behavioral Health Services: https://www.suffolkcountyny.gov/mh-services

There are various "wrap-around" type services for Youth and Adults. Mobile Residential Support Teams for adults provide support services to individuals within their home or supported housing setting. Providers can visit the person from once a week to once a day, to work on any goals that will enable them to be successful in the community and make progress towards personal recovery.

For information on the specific agencies that provide these services, please refer to the 2022 Suffolk County Directory of Behavioral Health Services: https://www.suffolkcountyny.gov/mh-services

A Community Residence provides a supervised, therapeutic environment for six to eight children or adolescents, between the ages of 5 and 18 years, that includes structured daily living activities, problem solving skills development, a behavior management system and caring consistent adult interactions. Most often, needed clinical supports for the child and family are provided by community-based services.

The CSPOA offers a centralized, coordinated referral process using a universal referral form. The Suffolk CSPOA supplement to this application will be available shortly.

The Single Point of Access (SPA) Unit is the hub that processes applications for the several different types and levels of residential services for individuals diagnosed with Serious Mental Illness (SMI).

The application and more information can be found at the SPA Website: www.spahousingli.org

Important Numbers:

If you are experiencing a mental health or substance use crisis, call for help!

  • Call Family Service League’s Diagnostic, Assessment, and Stabilization Hub (DASH) Program at (631) 952–3333 for 24/7 services for mental health, substance use, and crisis care for children and adults in Suffolk County

  • 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline: If you are feeling suicidal, are in need of support or rescue, or are in crisis, call or text 988. Help is available 24/7

    • For local support, call the Response of Suffolk 24/7 Crisis Hotline (631) 751-7500

  • For a medical emergency, call 911