Lacey Trimble, Commissioner of Social Services and Mental Health, told the Health and Mental Health Committee that the county would accept and appropriate $106,232 in state funding from the New York State Office of Mental Health and the New York State Office of Addiction Services and Supports. The allocation comprises $26,744 for cost‑of‑living adjustments, $48,100 for a vet‑to‑vet program, and $31,388 for a medication‑assisted‑treatment (MAT) program, Legislative Request No. 215. The committee voted in favor of the request and the motion passed.

The funds are described as additions to existing programs. Trimble said the MAT portion will be passed through to the sheriff’s office so the jail can provide prescribed medications for people in custody and to help offset the cost of those medications. She said the state is providing additional funding “specifically for the medication piece in jails to help offset the cost of those medications because they are very expensive.”

Trimble also updated the committee on program staffing and recent hires. She said the court navigator position that the committee had funded in an earlier session has been filled and the new navigator is already working in court to identify people with mental‑health diagnoses or substance‑use disorders and connect them to treatment, with the aim of reducing recidivism. The presentation noted that some funds are pass‑throughs used to support treatment in the Orange County Jail.

The commissioner outlined upcoming and ongoing suicide‑prevention efforts: two trainings (SafeTALK and Question, Persuade, Refer) being offered in collaboration with the county suicide prevention committee, the Orange County Youth Bureau and contract agencies. Flyers and registration information were provided to the committee, Trimble said.

Trimble reported on satellite clinic certifications in local schools — Cornwall Middle School, Cornwall High School, and Truman Elementary School — and said the department is recruiting social workers to staff those school‑based sites with the goal of starting by the school year. She said satellite visits typically decline in summer when students are not in school but that year‑over‑year services are increasing and the county might exceed 40,000 clinic services this year.

Trimble answered committee questions about outreach materials and agreed to share materials for members to distribute at community events. She described the suicide prevention committee’s plans to participate in community events and coordinate with contract agencies to distribute information.