05/29/2025
Empire Government Strategies President Catherine Fee, MBA and Dr. Jeffrey L. Reynolds, Ph.D, CEO of Family & Children's Association joined Congressman Tom Suozzi, Congressman Laura Gillen, Northwell Health CEO Michael Dowling and other community leaders for a press conference to address the harmful consequences of cuts to Medicaid and various other programs for those who need it the most.
Dr. Reynolds shared the following:
· 1 in 3 kids and 1 in 4 adults have shown symptoms of anxiety and depression.
· 1 in 6 kids has contemplated su***de.
· The single largest payer for children’s mental health care is Medicaid.
· Medicaid is also the single largest payer for addiction treatments.
· One of the ways FCA has made progress is through Medicaid supported programs.
· Medicaid supports the facilities that are ready, willing, and able to prevent kids from taking their own lives.
· Medicaid serves the families who know that their child is struggling and those parents who are wondering if their child will be alive in the morning.
· Medicaid is paying for the bulk of treatment for the folks that are struggling and is the primary payer for - Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) which is the gold standard of preventing overdoses.
Family & Children's Association is a Long Island not-for-profit agency working to protect and strengthen vulnerable children, seniors and families. FCA has 13 locations across the island serving over 37,000 residents.
"This is not just numbers. This is not just politics. This has a real-life impact on people," Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-Glen Cove) said at a news conference on Wednesday.
