Tuesday, January 27, 2026, 1 p.m. (New York City time), Committee Room - City Hall
Committee: Committee on Mental Health and Addiction
The Committee on Mental Health and Addiction, chaired by Council Member Tiffany L. Cabán, held a preliminary hearing on legislation sponsored by Council Member Farah N. Louis requiring the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene to report annually on suicides in New York City. Cabán announced that at the next stated meeting the committee will vote to rename itself the Committee on Mental Health and Substance Use, and she read a statement on behalf of the bill's sponsor emphasizing data collection by age, race, ethnicity, gender, occupation, and borough. Public testimony came from representatives of Samaritans of New York and Five Borough Veterans, as well as veterans speaking on their own behalf, all in support of the bill and several urging that veteran status and sexual orientation/gender identity be included as data points. No vote was taken during the hearing; the chair indicated that testimony would inform amendments to the bill.
0:21 Keep moving. Good afternoon.
0:21 Good afternoon. Welcome to the
0:22 New York City Council hearing
0:23 on the committee on mental
0:25 health disabilities and
0:26 addiction at this time, pleas
0:28 e. Sounds electronics and do
0:29 not approach the dais. Thank
0:30 you for your cooperation chair
0:31 , you begin good afternoon,
0:40 everyone. My name is council
0:42 member Tiffany kalon, chair of
0:43 the New York City Council's
0:44 committee on mental health and
0:45 addiction, just a quick note
0:46 at the next stated meeting we
0:49 will be voting to change the
0:50 namef o this committee to the
0:53 committee on mental health and
0:56 substance use before we begin.
0:56 I'd like to recognize that we
0:57 are joined by council members
1:00 all the wall and a council
1:01 member areola on zoom today,
1:03 the committee will hear a pre
1:05 considered introduction
1:05 sponsor brad Council Member
1:08 Farah lewis, which would
1:09 require the commissioner of
1:09 health and mental hygiene t
1:11 oreport annually on suicides
1:12 that occur in the City. I want
1:14 to begin by grounding today's
1:15 hearing in the reality that
1:16 suicide is not just the
1:18 statistic it is a tragedy in a
1:20 failure of our health and
1:21 mental health care systems.
1:22 It's a public health issue
1:24 rooted in grief and trauma and
1:26 this bill aims to codif
1:27 ysuicide reporting to bring
1:29 transparency and consistency
1:31 while honoring the dignity of
1:31 those we have lost and the
1:32 families left behind. Our
1:35 responsibility is to ensure
1:36 that data is collected
1:37 thoughtfully and used to
1:38 prevent harm, expand care and
1:41 save lives. The goal is not t
1:42 ostigmatize or sensationalized,
1:45 but center equity and ensure
1:46 that interventions address the
1:47 wide disparities in access t
1:48 ocare, particularly for the
1:50 most vulnerable communities
1:51 .every policy we pass should
1:53 reflect our commitment t
1:54 ocompassion, justice and the
1:55 idea that no one's pain should
1:56 be invisible or ignored. I
1:59 would like to thank the
2:00 administration for providing
2:01 testimony on this bill last
2:02 session and I would also like
2:03 to thank the committee staff
2:04 who worked to prepare this
2:05 hearing as well as my own
2:07 staff before we begin
2:08 testimony. I'm going to read a
2:09 brief statement on behalf of
2:10 the bill's sponsor, council
2:12 member luis quote. I want t
2:16 obegin by thinking chair
2:16 Tiffany carbon for her
2:17 leadership and for her
2:17 appointment to lead the
2:19 committee. I commend her
2:20 commitment to advancing,
2:21 thoughtful and compassionate
2:22 mental health policy in this
2:23 council and I appreciate her
2:24 efforts to move this
2:25 legislation forward
2:26 session. I am proud to sponsor
2:29 the pre consider legislation
2:30 to require the department of
2:31 health and mental hygiene to
2:32 publish an annual report on
2:34 suicides in New York City,
2:35 while some of this information
2:37 currently exists within
2:38 broader mortality data, it not
2:40 comprehensive enough to meet
2:40 the needs of providers,
2:42 advocates and families seeking
2:45 effective solutions by
2:46 collecting and reporting data
2:47 by age, race, ethnicity,
2:48 gender, occupation and burrow
2:50 residents we can better
2:51 understand the risks are
2:52 greatest where the risks are
2:54 greatest and direct resources
2:57 more strategically the menta
2:58 lhealth crisis facing both are
2:59 young people in our older
3:00 adults demands that we act
3:01 with urgency and precision.
3:02 I'm grateful that this bill is
3:03 being considered an advanced
3:05 early in this session. I look
3:06 forward to working with cab on
3:08 the administration and our
3:09 advocacy partners ahead of its
3:11 passage to expand its reach
3:12 and insurance serves all
3:13 relevant populations impacted
3:14 by suicide and self harm.
3:18 Thank you
3:19 , I think now we're just going
3:20 to go ahead and open the
3:21 hearing for public testimony
3:24 . I want to remind members of
3:25 the public. This is a
3:26 government proceeding decorum.
3:29 Observe it, please, I don't
3:29 think I'm going to have that
3:31 issue and a the witness table
3:35 is reserved for people who
3:35 wish to testify. No video
3:36 courting or photography is
3:37 loud from the witness table
3:38 and further members of the
3:39 public not present audio or
3:41 video recordings as testimony,
3:42 but submit transcripts of such
3:44 recordings to the sergeant at
3:45 arms for inclusion in the
3:47 hearing record if you wish to
3:49 speak at today's hearing,
3:50 please
3:50 . Fill out an appearance card
3:51 with the sergeant at arms and
3:52 wait to be recognized when you
3:53 recognize you'll have three
3:55 minutes to speak on today's
3:56 oversight topic and
3:57 legislation if you have a
3:58 written statement or
3:59 additional written testimony
3:59 you wish to submit for the
4:00 record, please provide a copy
4:02 of that testimony to the
4:02 sergeant atrms a and you also
4:04 email written testimony t
4:06 otestimony at council that dot
4:09 gov within 72 hours of this
4:09 hearing audio and video
4:12 recordings won't
4:12 . Be accepted, do you want to
4:16 call, though
4:16 . I do. Okay, house. I was
4:17 going to give you the power.
4:23 Okay? They want to let the
4:23 council members. The names
4:25 instead. Um, okay, the first
4:29 panel will include. Ah, miss
4:34 what? Fiona o'grady
4:37 , kumari cruz and john
4:44 whittaker such a New rule. Why
4:53 ? That's the night. You know I
4:54 don't want to talk the whole
5:03 time. Yeah, girls. O would you
5:09 like me to start. I start? Yes
5:18 , please. Good morning. How
5:20 are you, ma'am, are good
5:22 afternoon chair Cabán council
5:24 member al double my name is
5:25 fiona no gradient. I'm,
5:27 director of government
5:28 relations at samaritans of New
5:30 york's suicide prevention
5:31 center, where one of 400
5:33 samaritan branches in 40
5:36 countries. Thank you for the
5:37 opportunity to speak in strong
5:38 support of intro 1 1 6 t
5:41 osamaritans operates New York
5:43 City only confidential 24
5:44 7suicide prevention hotline
5:47 funded by the council answered
5:48 by 80 to a hundred trained
5:51 volunteers
5:51 . We also support families
5:53 grieving after a suicide and
5:55 work and provide training in
5:57 schools and communities to
5:58 prevent crisis before they
6:01 escalate. Samaritans is also
6:02 deeply engaged in suicide
6:03 prevention policy at the City
6:05 state and national levels as a
6:06 member of the national council
6:09 for suicide prevention that
6:10 tracks how changes in federal
6:12 systems data collection and
6:14 crisis response infrastructure
6:16 affect local communities we
6:16 recognize the critical needs
6:19 to ensure the local suicide
6:22 surveillance systems and
6:23 oversight, particularly for
6:25 populations known to face
6:27 elevated risk, including lgbt
6:29 plus youth and veterans, and
6:33 from that vantage point I want
6:34 to be very clear, timely and
6:36 transparent data matters, we
6:38 are encouraged that this bill
6:39 requires demographic and
6:41 geographic break towns because
6:43 disparities in suicide risk
6:46 are real and demand targeted
6:48 prevention strategies as this
6:50 law moves forward. We are a
6:51 jew to pay careful attention
6:54 to implementation. That
6:55 includes ensuring reports are
6:57 timely or include provisional
7:00 data so that they are not
7:02 delayed coordinating across
7:03 agencies, so the information
7:05 is complete, establishing
7:06 clear privacy standards that
7:11 protect families while also
7:12 ,while they're still allowing
7:14 data to be released and being
7:17 transparent when information
7:18 is limited or provisional,
7:20 please also consider including
7:22 sexual orientation and gender
7:24 identity only where possible.
7:27 So populations known to face
7:28 elevated risk are not left out
7:29 of the picture annual suicide
7:32 reporting will strengthen the
7:34 city's ability to understand
7:35 what is happening on the
7:37 ground identify emerging needs
7:39 and expand in real time to
7:42 communities under strain it
7:44 allows policymakers to invest
7:45 where the need is greatest and
7:47 helps community based
7:49 organizers, organizations
7:50 adjust out and education
7:53 efforts before more lives are
7:54 lost. Congratulations on your
7:56 New position as of this
7:58 committee and for your lun
8:00 gsupport for mental health as a
8:02 member of the mental health
8:04 committee in prior years. I
8:05 look forward to working with
8:05 you and your team. Thank you
8:08 for your leadership and for
8:09 your commitment to protecting
8:10 New yorkers in crisis.
8:18 Good afternoon, cherica ban
8:20 and members of the committee.
8:23 Thank you for the opportunity
8:24 to speak today. My name is
8:25 kumari cruz and I serve as the
8:28 director of bereavement and
8:30 education services at
8:31 samaritans. News of New York.
8:34 Um, thank you again for
8:37 letting me to get the
8:37 opportunity to speak in
8:40 support of, um of this today
8:45 at majority of my work is with
8:47 oplepe who are living in the
8:49 aftermath of suicide loss, I
8:51 said, where parents, partners,
8:54 siblings, friends who are
8:55 trying to make sense of
8:57 something that is senseless,
8:58 something that has shattered
9:00 their entire world and have
9:01 changed our lives forever
9:04 . I also work with schools and
9:05 community groups to help talk
9:07 openly about suicide before a
9:10 crisis becomes fatal today. I
9:13 want to underscore just how
9:14 critical this leads
9:16 legislation is when the City
9:18 has accurate, timely
9:19 information about suicide
9:21 debts it can better recommend
9:22 recognized where pain is
9:25 concentrated which communities
9:26 are under strain and what
9:28 most urgently needed data when
9:33 used carefully and responsibly
9:34 becomes a way to prevent
9:37 future loss as this mandate is
9:38 implemented, we urged the
9:40 council to ensure that strong
9:42 privacy protections are paired
9:45 with transparency that
9:46 agencies coordinate
9:47 effectively and that missing
9:48 our provisional data are
9:50 clearly explained rather than
9:54 omitted. These details will
9:55 determine whether the report
9:56 becomes a living prevention
9:58 tool or simply a retrospective
10:02 document. We also encourage
10:03 the council to look closely at
10:05 populations known to fac
10:07 eelevated suicide risk,
10:09 including lgbt plus New
10:11 yorkers and how to consider
10:14 sexual orientation and gender
10:17 identity data that could be
10:18 used in corporately said that
10:20 could be incorporated. Slave
10:20 flee and thoughtfully this
10:23 bill selden, an important
10:24 message to New York City is
10:26 committed, not only to respond
10:28 to crises but to learn from
10:29 them in order to prevent the
10:31 next one. Thank you for your
10:32 time and dedication to this
10:42 work a morning. My name is
10:44 john whittaker. Thank you t
10:45 othe chairman. The rest of the
10:47 committee bring us out. I am
10:49 here at the invitation of fiv
10:52 ebarrel veterans, but I'm
10:53 testifying in on my own behal
10:54 f. I've worked in veteran
10:55 community for some time now in
10:56 nearly 12 years and I've
10:58 worked in security industry
11:00 for nearly 12 13 year, dealing
11:01 mostly with homeless and ended
11:02 it. Populations, including a
11:05 drug addicted and mental
11:08 health issue individuals as a
11:09 veteran and as a as a member
11:11 of 25 in division I spent time
11:16 in combat and things including
11:17 mental health crisis is drug
11:20 addiction, a criminal
11:21 revanchist things for those
11:23 nature can sometimes become
11:24 prevalent from veterans
11:25 particularly went under mental
11:26 stress once they get out of
11:27 the military and they leave
11:28 that sort of protected
11:29 environment to go out to the
11:32 City as as a New yorker
11:34 ,obviously a the City, I think
11:37 is most a one of the most,
11:39 although the federal
11:39 government has certain a
11:42 prudent a requirements of
11:44 statuses and benefits they
11:45 bring to the apparently it's
11:46 actually the City that has the
11:46 most on the ground a knowledge
11:50 of our communities brought by
11:51 barrel City by City block by
11:53 block in order to help
11:55 veterans as an admitted
11:58 attorney an mediterranee since
11:59 20 22. I got the opportunity
12:00 to work with legal services.
12:03 Parents dressed as project
12:04 with nycha with other housing
12:08 challenge veterans. And
12:08 although we've made a lot of
12:09 progress in the last 30 years
12:10 we've moved from the sort of
12:11 stereotype of the homeless
12:13 veteran with the the better
12:14 things on the street corner,
12:16 which was an unfortunate
12:17 stereotype and we've developed
12:19 a different legal aspect
12:20 ,different organizations have
12:21 come up with New housing
12:24 things like samaritan village
12:25 is things like veteran
12:27 volunteers of america with
12:30 housing, we still face. We
12:32 still have veterans facing all
12:32 sorts of mental health issues
12:35 a crisis is whether that's
12:37 addiction. Whether that's a
12:40 criminal records
12:41 . And grandpa unfortunate
12:42 circumstances and I'm here to
12:44 support as a veteran and as
12:46 someone who's worked in
12:46 security for a long time and
12:49 Sunday work from the legal
12:51 field. Ah, we need
12:52 clarification on our actual
12:54 population here as far as
12:56 veterans go because that's the
12:56 only way they can actually
12:57 help veterans on the ground we
12:59 can identify them, we can
13:00 bring them these services that
13:01 more and more services,
13:02 whether that's wonders
13:03 warriors where that's anything
13:05 else. Thank you for your time,
13:10 thank you. I want to follow
13:11 up with a couple of questions,
13:12 and it also just named. If I
13:13 know that there was a hearing
13:15 and that you all had the
13:18 opportunity to testify, but I
13:19 think it's good to get on the
13:19 record again. We're going to
13:22 be talking and directing, you
13:23 know these things to a New
13:25 administration and the more we
13:26 can get on the record, I think
13:29 the better. When sarah, I want
13:29 to thank you for your service,
13:31 it resonates a lot. My my
13:33 grandfather was a a korean war
13:34 combat veteran who came home
13:37 with ptsd and self medicated
13:39 and so you know, I we go. We
13:41 have one of the largest a
13:45 veteran communities in