Students representing Catskill Middle School and the Catskill High School Yellow Ribbon Teen Suicide Prevention Team headed to Albany on March 12 to participate in the Mental Health Association of New York State Advocacy Day at the state Capitol. The students learned about new legislation and heard presentations by the Chair of the Senate Committee on Alcoholism and Substance Use Disorders, Senator Fernandez, the Chair of the Assembly Mental Health Committee, Assemblymember Simon, along with Assemblymember Kelles, NYS Office of Health Commissioner Ann Sullivan, President of the Firefighters Association of the State of New York Eugene Perry, Greenport Rescue Squad’s Aidan O’Connor, President of the Empire State New York State Concerns of Police Survivors George Hill, and Freeport High School student Alyssa Majano. The students then participated in a march and rally at the Capitol steps, where advocates shared their own mental health struggles, messages of hope, and how their resiliency led to their recovery. After the rally, Catskill students met with Senator Michelle Hinchey and Assemblyman Chris Tague about the importance of public policies focused on increasing mental health literacy on college campuses and encouraging whole health parity, establishing mental health literacy in all students and staff in schools, and advocating for the workforce and the operations of the Mental Health agencies to be paid a decent wage.
