BHDF Event

From Punishment to Public Health (P2PH) ....

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June 2024 Conference

From Punishment to Public Health (P2PH) partnered with the New York State Psychiatric Institute (NYSPI) at Columbia University and the Center for Urban Community Services to host the Under Arrest and In Crisis: The emergency psychiatric care of people in police custody.

This symposium focused on the psychiatric care of individuals in emergency departments who were under arrest and in police custody. The many agencies involved (e.g., health care, police, courts) were all responsible, to varying degrees, for protecting the mental health of these individuals, as well as protecting public safety. However, clinical and operational decision-making at this critical, delicate, and earliest intersection between the mental health and criminal justice systems was often complex and confusing.

Attendees learned from expert panelists in the morning session who provided medical, legal, police, and lived experience perspectives. They spent the afternoon session developing model principles and practices that emergency departments might consider in providing equitable, humane, and person-centered psychiatric care to people in police custody.

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January 2024 Daniel's Law Task Force Meeting

From Punishment to Public Health (P2PH) partnered with the New York State Office of Mental Health to host the Daniel's Law Task Force stakeholders listening session at John Jay College of Criminal Justice. Established in response to the death of 41-year-old Daniel Prude in 2020, the task force was charged with developing recommendations to guide behavioral health crisis response and explore avenues for related diversion services. After its inaugural meeting in August, the task force has hosted a series of listening sessions. The session hosted at John Jay College aimed to gather additional input from communities, governmental entities, and the public on best practices for engaging individuals in crisis, with a specific emphasis on equity. The task force also examined a variety of models—both national and international—that could be used in developing a crisis response system.

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January 2023 Conference

From Punishment to Public Health (P2PH) partnered with the NYC Justice Peer Initiative and the New York Association of Psychiatric Rehabilitation Services (NYAPRS) to host a regional state forum highlighting key issues at the intersections of mental health, substance use, housing insecurity and criminal legal system involvement.  With the recurrent fear mongering around falsely deemed “dangerous mentally ill” homeless people being targeted for forced removal and coerced treatment, this event is designed to cultivate discussion around investment opportunities to fill gaps in services and create a more integrated behavioral health system that meets the needs of New York City’s most vulnerable residents. 

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July 2022 Conference

From Punishment to Public Health (P2PH) gathered partners for our event, “Mental Health Crisis Response and Stabilization - Mapping New York’s Path to Success.” The event highlighted the recent investments in mobile mental health crisis response and clinical stabilization resources at the state and local level.  With the recent launch of the 9-8-8 mental health hotline, and several new and expanded service modalities slated for FY23, New York is poised to make a significant impact on the health and well-being of some of our most vulnerable residents.  This event was designed to share information on these new resources, cultivate discussion around remaining gaps in services, and explore opportunities to create a more integrated behavioral health system.