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Crisis Point

How New York Wrecked Mental Health Care for Kids

State leaders promised to expand young people’s access to mental health services. Now, families are struggling to get care for youth in crisis.

Impact of Our Reporting
Caret

Crisis Point

“We’re at a Crisis Point”: NY Attorney General Hearing Spotlights Child Mental Health Care Failures

After THE CITY and ProPublica exposed a dramatic drop in beds at state psychiatric hospitals, New York’s top law enforcer takes agonized testimony from patients and providers — and the parent who’d told us of her son’s monthslong wait for care.

Local Reporting Network

9 stories published since 2022

New York Closed Psych Beds for Youth in Crisis. Now, Foster Care Programs and Host Towns Are Being Pushed to the Limit.

New York Charter Schools Write Their Own Rules for When to Call 911 on Students Having a Mental Health Crisis

NYC Schools Handcuff and Haul Away Kids in Emotional Crisis

The Balancing Act of Reporting on Vulnerable Kids While Protecting Their Privacy

Public Schools Are NYC’s Main Youth Mental Health System. Where Kids Land Often Depends on What Their Parents Can Pay.

New York Let Residences for Kids With Serious Mental Health Problems Vanish. Desperate Families Call the Cops Instead.

New York Increases Funding of Mental Health Care for Kids, Including Cash Governor Says Will Reopen Hospital Beds

New York State Failed to Provide Legally Required Mental Health Care to Kids, Lawsuit Claims

Cuomo Set Out to “Transform” Mental Health Care for Kids. Now They Can’t Get Treatment.

What We’re Watching

During Donald Trump’s second presidency, ProPublica will focus on the areas most in need of scrutiny. Here are some of the issues our reporters will be watching — and how to get in touch with them securely.

Learn more about our reporting team. We will continue to share our areas of interest as the news develops.

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Sharon Lerner

I cover health and the environment and the agencies that govern them, including the Environmental Protection Agency.

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Andy Kroll

I cover justice and the rule of law, including the Justice Department, U.S. attorneys and the courts.

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Melissa Sanchez

I report on immigration and labor, and I am based in Chicago.

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Jesse Coburn

I cover housing and transportation, including the companies working in those fields and the regulators overseeing them.

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