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Returning Guest: Brian Stettin. NYC City Hall’s senior advisor on severe mental illness.

In Episode 61, we interviewed Brian Stettin, senior advisor to the Mayor Eric Adams administration on severe mental illness.

Brian drafted the legislation that became Kendra's Law when he was an assistant attorney general in 1999, after a young journalist, Kendra Webdale, was shoved into an oncoming train by a young man from Queens with a long history of mental illness.

The  Adams administration's push was to have more severely mentally ill people brought to hospitals for psychiatric evaluation as compassionate intervention, and to change the state laws about the length of hospital stays.

This law is designed to apply to those who can't recognize their mental condition or take care of themselves, not just those who present an immediate threat to themselves or others.

Lately, with so many SMI and homelessness incidents in NYC making news (a homeless woman set on fire in the subway; a symptomatic mentally ill man’s death by chokehold; NY Governor Kathy Hochul’s support of getting help for those with SMI). we revisit this important issue. 

Almost two years later:

• How is the program going? 
• What are the successes and challenges? 
• What more can be done?

Links:

Randye’s blog posts about these issues:

https://randyekaye.substack.com/p/journalists-please-stop-saying-against?r=j36ce

https://randyekaye.substack.com/p/luigi-mangione-jordan-neely-where?r=j36ce

https://www.randyekaye.com/benbehindhisvoices/journalists-stop-saying-against-their-will-its-about-care-not-force

https://www.randyekaye.com/benbehindhisvoices/my-son-will-be-homeless-this-friday-heres-why-it-didnt-need-to-happen

https://www.randyekaye.com/benbehindhisvoices/luigi-mangione-jordan-neely-mental-illness-in-the-news-one-mothers-opinion

Articles About NYC’s Compassionate Intervention:

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/25/nyregion/mentally-ill-homeless-nyc.html?unlocked_article_code=1.n04.XLWi.cts0Q8s7hfkd&smid=url-share

https://gothamist.com/news/adams-launches-new-overnight-homeless-outreach-program-pairing-police-clinicians-on-nyc-subways

https://www.nydailynews.com/2024/12/10/the-penny-case-mental-health-law-too-many-sick-people-are-left-on-the-streets-and-subways-without-care/?share=eica4pteitwyw2rtyyca

https://www.nyc.gov/assets/home/downloads/pdf/press-releases/2022/Psychiatric-Crisis-Care.pdf

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Randye Kaye
Mindy Greiling
Miriam (Mimi) Feldman