Earlier this month, WBFO's Disability Reporter Emyle Watkins joined mental health advocates as they traveled from Buffalo to Albany to push for peer-led, voluntary services in the state’s budget.
Several of Watkins' interviews from that day were featured in a What’s Next episode on Monday. With the budget due soon, we wanted to share a section of that special, which explains some of the push back against involuntary treatment.
TRANSCRIPT EXCERPT
This is an excerpt from a What's Next? episode that aired on March 24, 2025. You can listen to the entire episode or read the full transcript by clicking here.
This is a rush transcript provided by a contractor and may be updated over time to be more accurate.
Emyle Watkins: While on the federal level, cuts have been the main discussion. In New York, the debate is more focused on how to distribute the money where it's going to be the most helpful.
At the press conference, a major focus was asking the governor not to increase funding to involuntary treatment, but instead allocate that funding to voluntary and peer-led services. Currently, Governor Kathy Hochul and the legislature seem at odds over expanding involuntary commitment. While Hochul proposed expansion, the legislature has submitted that from their proposed budget.
And another aspect of involuntary treatment Hochul has sought to expand is Kendra's Law, which is also called Assisted Outpatient Treatment or AOT. It's essentially court-ordered mental health treatment. Kendra's Law isn't permanent and will be up for review in 2027. It's another major concern for advocates including Carla Rabinowitz who spoke during the press conference about her experience with both AOT and peer-led services.
Carla started reading her story, which you'll hear, and then another advocate read her story again for clarity.
Carla Rabinowitz: I want to tell my story. I'm Carla Rabinowitz. I want to tell my story about AOT.
Luke Sikinyi: Can I read this for you?
Carla Rabinowitz: Yes, yes.
Luke Sikinyi: Okay. Thank you, Carla. I'm going to read for her really quickly. Carla, do you want to stay here with me for a moment?
Luke Sikinyi (Reading Carla's testimony): I'm Carla Rabinowitz. I want to tell my story about AOT. From 1996 to 2001, I got progressively sicker. I went in and out of hospitals and was all but lost to myself. I was screaming on the street, I was walking the city streets at 3:00 AM, very unlike me. I described this time as my werewolf form London time. I was unrecognizable to myself. At one time, I was screaming so hard and so often I bought a boxer's mouthpiece to stop myself from screaming. It didn't work. I just spit out the mouthpiece and continued screaming.
I lost my law license due to my severe mental illness. I went in front of a judge and they said AOT. I was in AOT for a year. I was in hospitals many times. It sucked. I did not like it. AOT separated me from life outside. Community Access hired me and saved my life. I started working at Community Access as part of the peer program, counseling people experiencing mental health issues after 9/11. Community Access is a place of healing. In my 20 years working at Community Access, peers helped me a lot. I got support from peers and they helped me find a home, live independently in a co-op, accumulate some money and save for retirement and find myself again. I felt motivated to see a psychiatrist and I was finally rewarded my law license back after lots of hard work.
Emyle Watkins: The same day these advocates were in Albany, Politico posted a new story about assisted outpatient treatment. It cited two reports, including one published by the New York Lawyers for the Public Interest about how people of color have disproportionately been impacted by Kendra's Law. To quote part of that report, NYLPI states:
"The state's own data indicate that 38% of current involuntary outpatient commitment orders involve Black individuals despite the fact that black individuals only make up 17.7% of the population, 26% of the orders involve Hispanic individuals who only make up 19.8% of the population, while 31% of the orders involve White people. Although White individuals make up 54% of the population. These disparities have existed for at least the past 20 years."
The report also cites studies which question the efficacy of involuntary treatment compared to voluntary treatment.
