State Mental Health Agency
For more information about admission, care, treatment, release, and patient follow-up in public or private psychiatric residential facilities, contact your State mental health agency:
Office of Mental Health
44 Holland Avenue
Albany, NY 12229
Phone: 518-474-4403
Fax: 518-474-2149
Toll-free: 800-597-8481
Internet: www.omh.state.ny.us
State Protection and Advocacy Agency
Each State has a protection and advocacy agency that receives funding from the Federal Center for Mental Health Services. Agencies are mandated to protect and advocate for the rights of people with mental illnesses and to investigate reports of abuse and neglect in facilities that care for or treat individuals with mental illnesses. These facilities, which may be public or private, include hospitals, nursing homes, community facilities, board and care homes, homeless shelters, jails, and prisons. Agencies provide advocacy services or conduct investigations to address issues that arise during transportation or admission to such facilities, during residency in them, or within 90 days after discharge from them. Contact:
New York State Commission on Quality of Care for the Mentally Disabled
401 State Street
Schenectady, NY 12305-2397
Phone: 518-381-7000
Fax: 518-381-7079
Toll-free: 800-624-4143 (Statewide)
Internet: www.cqc.state.ny.us
Family Support
The Center for Mental Health Services awards grants to statewide, family-run networks to provide support and information to families of children and adolescents with serious emotional, behavioral, or mental disorders. For more information, contact:
Families Together in New York State, Inc.
15 Elk Street
Albany, NY 12207
Phone: 518-432-0333
Fax: 518-434-6478
Toll-free: 888-FAM-TOGH (Statewide)
E-mail: pmacdonald@ftnys.org
Internet: www.ftnys.org
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, which is part of the Department of Health and Human Services, investigates some complaints about treatment facilities that receive Medicare and Medicaid funding. For further information at the national level, contact:
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
7500 Security Boulevard
Baltimore, MD 21244-1850
Phone: 410-786-3000
E-mail: webmaster@hcfa.gov
Internet: cms.hhs.gov/medicare/
You may also share your concerns with staff at the Health Care Financing Administration office in your area, which is Region 2. The regional office address and telephone number are:
New York Regional Office
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
26 Federal Plaza, Room 3811
New York, NY 10278-0063
Phone: 212-264-4488
Fax: 212-264-2665
Internet: cms.hhs.gov/medicare/
Advocacy Organizations
The National Mental Health Association maintains a referral and information center and can help you locate local chapters. These local groups have information about community services and engage in national and state level advocacy. For more information about the association, write or call:
National Mental Health Association Information Center
1021 Prince Street
Alexandria, VA 22314-2971
Phone: 703-684-7722
Fax: 703-684-5968
Toll-free: 800-969-6642
TTY: 800-433-5959
E-mail: infoctr@nmha.org
Internet: www.nmha.org
