History

In 2005, Assemblyman Peter Rivera of the Bronx and chair of the Committee on Mental Health led an Underserved Populations Subcommittee of the New York State Committee on Mental
Health, Mental Retardation, and Developmental Disabilities’ Mental Hygiene Task Force in an investigation into the mental health status of New Yorkers. The subcommittee found that millions of New Yorkers face cultural and linguistic barriers when trying to access mental health care, particularly in urban areas. The committee also found that these barriers have resulted from shortages of trained bilingual and bicultural mental health providers. Lack of access to care, resulting from poverty, lack of insurance, status as an undocumented immigrant, low health literacy, and difficulty in navigating the fragmented health delivery system were also noted as barriers to mental health care.

In January of 2007 the State Assembly passed A01612, a bill sponsored by Assemblyman Peter Rivera in response to these findings. This bill directed the New York State Office of Mental Health "to establish two centers of excellence in culturally and linguistically competent mental health services for the delivery of culturally and linguistically competent mental health services to underserved populations affected by disparities due to cultural, linguistic and systemic barriers".

In November of 2007 The New York State Legislature allocated the funding for two centers of excellence for cultural competence. One center is located at the Nathan Kline Institute in Orangeburg, New York, and the other here at the New York State Psychiatric Institute (NYSPI) in Northern Manhattan. The Legislature stipulated that each center must work to enhance the availability of culturally and linguistically appropriate services in New York State and produce results that could be disseminated statewide. The legislature also mandated that each center work closely with consumers of mental health services and their family members, and requested that the Office of Mental Health (OMH) provide financial and technical support to the centers.