Expanding Inpatient Capacity at State Mental Health Facilities

Governor Kathy Hochul today announced that 125 new beds have opened at state-operated psychiatric centers over the past four months, boosting New York’s capacity to provide intermediate-level care to individuals living with mental illness. Opened statewide since December 1, 2024, the new beds represent more than a third of the capacity added at state psychiatric centers since Governor Hochul took office in 2022 — the largest inpatient expansion at these facilities in decades.

“New Yorkers living with longer-term psychiatric challenges need access to care they can count on and that’s what these new beds promise to deliver,” Governor Hochul said. “Adding new capacity complements other critical investments we’re making in mental health care, including an expansion of outpatient supports, services and specialized housing to help individuals in recovery live safely in their community.”

OMH has added 125 new beds split between five state psychiatric centers during the first three months of 2025. This expansion added 60 adult beds, 15 children’s beds and 50 forensic beds, including:

• 25 beds at the Greater Binghamton Psychiatric Center in Binghamton
• 25 beds at Creedmoor Psychiatric Center in Queens
• 10 beds at Capital District Psychiatric Center in Albany
• 15 beds at Rockland Children's Psychiatric Center in Orangeburg
• 25 beds at Kirby Psychiatric Center in Manhattan
• 25 beds at Rochester Psychiatric Center in Rochester

With these additions, Governor Hochul has brought 875 beds online since taking office, including 325 new beds at state-operated psychiatric centers, and 550 beds restored at community-based hospitals. An additional 75 beds are in planning for three Transition to Home units slated to begin opening at the Creedmoor campus in 2026.

The first 25-bed Transition to Home unit opened at Manhattan Psychiatric Center in late 2022, with a second 25-bed unit opening several months later. These units provide recovery-focused treatment specifically designed for individuals with severe mental illnesses who are experiencing homelessness.

In addition to this expansion at state facilities, Governor Hochul has helped restore 550 beds that were offline at community-based hospital beds statewide. These hospitals typically serve individuals requiring shorter term care –often several weeks or less –while the state psychiatric centers provide longer-term treatment that can last months.

Office of Mental Health Commissioner Dr. Ann Sullivan said, “Our focus is to ensure all New Yorkers can access the right level of care whenever and wherever they need it. In addition to expanding both acute and intermediate inpatient capacity, we are also investing in outpatient supports and specialized housing to help people receive mental health care in the setting most appropriate for their need. Governor Hochul’s continued commitment to strengthening our mental health system is creating one that is truly responsive to the needs of all New Yorkers.”

Governor Hochul’s signature $1 billion investment into strengthening New York State’s mental health care system and her subsequent budget initiatives have resulted in a significant expansion of outpatient services. This includes tripling the number of Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics statewide from 13 to 39, which provide mental health and substance use disorder services to anyone who walks in the door.

This plan has added 24 new adult and young adult Assertive Community Treatment teams, with an additional 16 teams under development. This ongoing expansion will significantly increase the capacity of these teams to treat New Yorkers most in need within their communities, rather than in more restrictive hospital settings.

Governor Hochul’s plan has funded 22 new Youth ACT teams. These multi-disciplinary teams are designed to address the significant needs of children ages 10 up to 21, who are at risk of entering, or are returning home from high intensity services, such as inpatient settings or residential services.

Additionally, the State has added 31 new Critical Time Intervention teams under the Governor’s initiative to provide care management services and support that help people during transitions in care, including when they leave inpatient settings. An additional 19 teams are in planning.

Governor Hochul’s mental health initiative has also expanded the ‘Safe Options Support’ program to operate in all five boroughs of New York City and throughout the state, helping more than 970 chronically homeless individuals into permanent housing. There are now 17 teams operating throughout New York City, one on Long Island and 10 in communities in upstate.

To date, the plan has provided funding for 1,276 units of new specialized housing, with an additional 2,224 housing units in the pipeline. This housing includes community residence-single room occupancy units, supportive housing-single room occupancy units and short term transitional residential units.