Grantee Name
The Coalition of Behavioral Health Agencies
Funding Area
Special Projects Fund
Publication Date
March 2015
Grant Amount
$350,456
Grant Date:
June 2010–October 2013
New York State Office of Mental Health-licensed behavioral health clinics (Article 31 clinics) are frequently the first intervention for New Yorkers with mental illness.
Trained and licensed mental health professionals provide outreach and treatment at these clinics to hundreds of thousands of children and adults, many of them from our most vulnerable populations. Article 31 clinics traditionally have been supported through reimbursements from Medicaid, private insurers, and Comprehensive Outpatient Payment Services (COPS) payments, a Medicaid supplemental program, as well as through subsidies from foundation grants and private donations. However, changes in reimbursement streams have left Article 31 clinics with inadequate funding, including the expiration of COPS in 2013, cutbacks of certain government contracts, and a decline in private philanthropy. Additionally, complex administrative functions, such as billing, IT systems, record keeping, and reporting, also have contributed to a financial strain.
In 2010, New York Health Foundation awarded The Coalition of Behavioral Health Agencies (The Coalition) a grant to provide Article 31 clinics with technical assistance to develop and implement sustainable business models to ensure their future viability.