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Legislature hears NAMI and REACH presentations; approves one‑year outreach worker pilot funded with city and county support
Summary
NAMI Finger Lakes and REACH Medical briefed the legislature on services and outcomes; legislators approved a one‑year outreach worker pilot to return outreach to the Commons and other sites, noting the program is a pilot and asking for additional municipal buy‑in for future funding.
Advocates and service providers briefed the Tompkins County Legislature on local mental‑health services and outreach efforts at the April 1 meeting; the body approved a one‑year outreach worker pilot to place behavioral‑health outreach staff in the Commons and other community locations.
Jason Hungerford, program manager for NAMI Finger Lakes, described the affiliate’s free support services and education programs that serve Tompkins and Cortland counties and asked the legislature to form a team and participate in the organization’s May 3 NAMI Walks fundraiser. “We provide free support services and education programs in Tompkins and Cortland Counties,” Hungerford said, explaining the referral and program work that NAMI conducts locally and inviting legislators to participate in fundraising.
Justine Waldman, representing REACH Medical, presented program outcomes and an overview of services including primary care, psychiatric medication management, substance‑use disorder treatment, infectious‑disease care and outreach to shelters and supportive housing sites. Waldman said REACH delivered thousands of encounters in 2024 (her materials showed 6,25 unique patients and 1,072 encounters in 2024 for specified programs) and described multiple grants that sustain REACH operations, including an Opiate Settlement Fund award (noted as roughly $128,000 over three years) and downtown outreach funding that supports newly hired community health workers.
The legislature voted to accept funding and partner on an outreach worker pilot (Resolution F, ID 13168). The pilot, described as one year in duration, expands outreach capacity with two full‑time equivalent outreach workers supplied through REACH (the provider increased the proposed staffing from 1.5 FTE to 2.0 FTE during committee discussion). County and city funding were identified: the county contribution was cited in committee discussion at $65,000 with the city matching $65,000 for the year; legislators asked downtown Ithaca Alliance and other local stakeholders to consider cost sharing if outreach covers commercial districts that benefit from the service.
Why it matters: Outreach workers connect people experiencing homelessness or behavioral‑health crises to services and can reduce emergency use and stabilize people in community settings. Legislators emphasized that the pilot should have clearly defined duties and coordination with other providers; several members asked that future iterations include municipal financial participation when outreach focuses on downtown business districts.
What the record shows and does not show: The legislature approved the pilot for one year; it did not commit to continuing funding beyond the pilot period. Committee discussion included concerns about past outreach worker burnout and the need for clear scope and coordination with reentry and jail services. REACH agreed to coordinate with county reentry and human‑services staff.
Ending: The pilot begins with REACH staff performing outreach to the Commons and other identified sites; the county and city will provide the initial funding for the one‑year pilot and the legislature expects follow‑up reporting on outcomes and funding sustainability.
