Partner and Chief Clinical Officer Amanda Fialk, PhD, LMSW, LICSW was featured on Spectrum News NY1 in a segment about the fallout of Mayor Eric Adams’ plan to involuntarily remove and hospitalize mentally ill people from NYC streets.
Dr. Fialk emphasized the misconceptions around homeless and mentally ill people who will be impacted by this dangerous policy:
“Just because someone doesn’t smell good because they aren’t able to shower or just because their clothes are disheveled doesn’t necessarily mean they have a mental illness that warrants hospitalization. Just because a person has a mental illness doesn’t mean they are a danger to themselves or others.”
Advocates instead say that other solutions should be considered — like Daniel’s Law that would replace police with mental health professionals when responding to mental health crises — in order to provide people with the real mental health and social services they need.
