NEW YORK – The Mother Cabrini Health Foundation, New York’s largest grantmaking organization focused on improving the health and well-being of vulnerable communities, convened leaders from across New York state on Wednesday, October 22, for Mental Health Summit: A Collaborative Path for Well-Being, a one-day event held in partnership with City and State New York to address the growing crises of mental illness, substance use disorder, and homelessness.

The all-day event in Manhattan emphasized multisector collaboration as essential to addressing New York State’s ongoing mental health crisis. Speakers included Dr. Ann Marie T. Sullivan, Commissioner of the New York State Office of Mental Health, His Eminence Timothy Cardinal Dolan, Archbishop of New York, Dr. Michelle Morse, Acting Commissioner, NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, Maggie Mortali of NAMI-NYC, Catherine Tapani of Volunteers of America, Greater New York, and more.

The summit comes at a pivotal time for New York State’s mental health system. While New York was recently ranked the top state for mental health care in the nation, recognizing low rates of uninsured adults with mental illness and major investments in psychiatric beds, outpatient programs, and specialized housing, significant challenges remain. Many communities continue to face provider shortages, uneven access to care, and rising youth mental health needs. Summit speakers emphasized that continued collaboration across government, health care, philanthropy, community organizations, and the private sector is essential to sustain progress and ensure all New Yorkers can access the care they need.

Building partnerships across sectors

Together more than 500 leaders from government, healthcare, housing, philanthropy, advocacy, and faith communities explored solutions that prioritize dignity, prevention services, and coordinated care for New Yorkers. Speakers included His Eminence Timothy Cardinal Dolan, Archbishop of New York, Dr. Ann Marie T. Sullivan, Commissioner of the New York State Office of Mental Health, Dr. Michelle Morse, Acting Commissioner of the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, and leaders from NYC Health + Hospitals, the Institute for Community Living, and the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI).

“Today’s Summit underscores the need for partnership across sectors to ensure that every New Yorker, regardless of circumstance, can access compassionate care and the stability needed to thrive,” said Monsignor Gregory Mustaciuolo, chief executive officer of the Mother Cabrini Health Foundation. “In coming together with a shared purpose, we seek solutions which uphold the value and dignity of every human person which is at the heart of the mission of the Foundation.”

Throughout the day, panel discussions explored the systemic roots of New York’s mental health crisis, the intersection of homelessness and behavioral health, and the role of faith leaders and community-based organizations. Speakers emphasized that meaningful progress depends on seeing and serving the whole person and ensuring collaboration across systems that too often operate in isolation.

Examining systemic roots and faith-based responses

The Understanding the Crisis panel featured Dr. Michelle Morse of NYC DOHMH, Jody Rudin of the Institute for Community Living, and Eva Wong of the Mayor’s Office of Community Mental Health, who examined the historical and systemic roots of the mental health crisis, calling for stronger prevention, better coordination, and attention to the links between behavioral health and housing instability. The Faith and Dignity panel, moderated by Daniel Frascella of the Mother Cabrini Health Foundation, brought together Cardinal Timothy Dolan with Rev. Dr. Gilford T. Monrose of the Mayor’s Office of Faith-Based and Community Partnerships and Caura Richardson of the Office of Faith and Nonprofit Developments Services for a conversation on the moral imperative to uphold human dignity and the unique role of faith leaders as first responders offering compassion and support.

Community solutions and social supports

The Community-Based Solutions panel, moderated by Dawn Pinnock of the Center for Urban Community Services, featured nonprofit leaders including Frank Cerny of the Rural Outreach Center and Maggie G. Mortali of NAMI-NYC, who underscored the role of community-based organizations that meet people where they are and called for greater investment in local capacity and collaboration. The Social Supports panel brought together experts such as Leora Jonteff of NYC Health + Hospitals, Catherine Tapani of Volunteers of America, Greater New York, and Kelly Lyndgaard, CEO of Unshattered, who affirmed that stable housing, employment, and other social supports are cornerstones of mental well-being, highlighting successful models and urging cross-sector partnerships to expand supportive housing and integrated care models statewide. The day concluded with a fireside chat between New York State Office of Mental Health Commissioner Dr. Ann Marie Sullivan and City and State Publisher Tom Allon, who led a discussion on reimagining crisis response, emphasizing the need for compassion-driven healthcare systems.

Foundation’s ongoing commitment

The summit reinforced the Foundation’s commitment to advancing holistic approaches that bridge gaps in care and strengthen support for vulnerable New Yorkers. In total, the Foundation has granted $175M toward mental health programs and housing support in New York State.

The Mother Cabrini Health Foundation is a private, nonprofit organization established in 2019 to improve the health and well-being of New Yorkers, bolster the health outcomes of vulnerable communities, eliminate barriers to care, and bridge gaps in health services. For more information, visit https://www.cabrinihealth.org.