Albany County Priority: Promote Well-Being and Prevent Mental and Substance Use Disorders

silhouette of person meditatingMental health is a core function which has physical, spiritual, and socio-economic impacts. Poor mental health is a cause of adverse physical health outcomes, academic under-achievement, homelessness, unemployment, and isolation. One in five New Yorkers experience a diagnosable mental disorder annually, and one in ten experiences an illness serious enough to impair functioning. An estimated 97,000 adults in the Capital Region reported 14 or more days with poor mental health in the last month.
Priority Areas

Mental Health and Substance Abuse

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Age-Adjusted Rate of Poor Mental Health: 14+ Days

Compared to NY Counties Exclusive of NYC, Albany has a value of 15.6% which is in the 2nd worst quartile of counties. Counties in the best 50% have a value lower than 15.2% while counties in the worst 25% have a value higher than 17.2%. Compared to NY Counties Exclusive of NYC, Albany has a value of 15.6% which is in the 2nd worst quartile of counties. Counties in the best 50% have a value lower than 15.2% while counties in the worst 25% have a value higher than 17.2%.

County: Albany

(Compared to NY Counties Exclusive of NYC)

2013-2018 Goals and Objectives

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Goal 1

Focus Area: Prevent Substance Abuse and other Mental Emotional Behavioral Disorders

Goal 1: Prevent underage drinking, excessive alcohol consumption by youth and adults, and reduce non-medical use of prescription pain medication, by youth and adults.

Objective 1.1: Reduce Opioid Overdose Deaths by 10% (from 17 in 2015 to 15 in 2018).

Objective 1.2: Reduce Opioid ED Visits from 24.9/100,000 in 2015 to 22.4/100,000 by 2018.

For more information about these focus areas, goals, and objectives, refer to the New York State Department of Health Prevention Agenda.

Activities Related to this Priority

St. Peter's Addiction Recovery Center
St. Peter's Addiction Recover Center (SPARC) has eight locations across the Capital Region. SPARC serves more than 5,000 individuals with drug and alcohol problems each year. Find out more about SPARC programs and eligibility here. 
Project Safe Point
Project Safe Point is a Capital Region program that provides safe, non-judgmental resources to individuals who use drugs. The program focuses on harm reduction by providing immediate access to safety resources, and long-term resources for recovery, medical care, and community-based resources. They also offer free overdose and response training. 
National Take-Back Initiative
The National Take-Back Initiative is an initiative to provide free, safe, and convenient ways to dispose of unused prescription medication. National Prescription Take-Back Day will be on Saturday, April 29, 2017.  For more resources on prescription medication disposal 365 days a year, click here. 

Albany County CHA, CHIP, and CSP

Throughout 2016 HCDI worked with the Capital Region counties to identify health needs in those counties and to develop community-wide responses to the selected needs. Here you will find the resulting Community Health Assessments, Community Health Improvement Plans, and Community Service Plans for Albany County. If you would like to get involved, click here for the contact information for the task forces on these issues.