Ulster County mental health officials report expanded crisis response, declines in overdoses and suicides

Ulster County Commissioner of Mental Health Tara McDonald and Deputy Commissioner Katrina Williams told the Legislature’s Health, Human Services and Human Rights Committee on March 6 that the department expanded countywide crisis response and community outreach during 2024 and plans new services in 2025.

The report covered the department’s move to the County Center for Well-Being at 368 Broadway in January 2024, the Scribe Support Center under construction (walls, paint and furniture were reported complete and an April 2025 opening was anticipated), and a greater county presence through coordinated street outreach and single point-of-access (SPOA) processes.

The presentation matters because the department oversees the local behavioral-health safety net, distributes state aid to community-based providers and coordinates crisis response across Ulster County. Officials said the 2024 work laid a foundation for broader changes in 2025, including a countywide behavioral-health needs assessment designed to inform future contracting and service priorities.

McDonald said the department operates as the county’s local governmental unit under the Mental Hygiene Law, Part 41, and passes state aid from the New York State Office of Mental Health, the Office for…