Rep. Mary Beth Walsh (photo provided)
Last Friday, February 9th, PS I Love You Day celebrated its 14th anniversary in more than 100 communities across New York State.
Jamie and Brooke DiPalma, along with their family, established PS I Love You Day in 2010 in memory of their father and all those lost to suicide in New York. The inspiration for this meaningful day came from his father’s three last words: “I Love You.”
A former New York City Police Department officer, former West Islip Fire Chief, and president of the local Chamber of Commerce, Joseph DiPalma Jr. was an active, dedicated and respected member of the community. “I love you,” Joseph said as he dropped off his 14-year-old daughter Brooke at school. Just a few hours later, Brooke was expelled from class and learned that her father had committed suicide.
After the devastating loss of her father, Brooke started a club at her school to combat bullying and raise awareness of suicide prevention. What started as a small group of schools has now expanded to more than 225 participating schools across the state, including the Galway Central School District and Broaddalbin Perth Middle/High School in the 112th Parliamentary District.
Thanks to people like the DiPalma family, progress has been made in raising mental health awareness across the state and nation, but we still have a long way to go to confront the serious mental health challenges our children, students, siblings, and friends experience. There is an important way to go. , parents, and community members – often don’t have the support and resources they need.
There is an urgent need to step up efforts at the local, state, and national level to help people grapple with mental health issues, which are often life-or-death considerations.
I am pleased to see the following additional mental health resources proposed in this year’s state budget:
• Expand capacity to care for people with mental illness by funding 200 new inpatient psychiatric beds.
• Increase psychiatric rehabilitation services in the Department of Mental Health by more than $5 million.
・Investing $24.1 million more than last year in emergency mental health programs run by local governments.
• Allocates $2 million in new funds to veterans, first responders, and disaster response workers for suicide prevention and mental health services.
• Added a significant $123.3 million to Community Mental Health Residential Programs and $6.7 million more to Community Mental Health Emergency Programs than last year.
• $12.4 million increase over last year for child and family community mental health services.
• Also, $95 million more than last year is being used to acquire, construct, reconstruct, rehabilitate, and improve state facilities.
Additionally, as a member of the Assembly’s Education Committee and Mental Health Committee, I am actively working to address bullying issues in schools. As a parent, I understand that bullying can have serious repercussions, especially if it is discovered years later. If your child is being bullied at school, wouldn’t you want to be told?
The bill I sponsored, Jacob’s Law (A.2231), would help protect children from bullying by notifying parents when bullying occurs at school. Even though this bill is in committee, my commitment to advocating for children remains strong. Addressing this gap in state law is a priority that can no longer be postponed.
I stand with the DiPalma family and all those who advocate for the mental health of those we love, including ourselves.
For more information about PS I Love You Day, please visit https://psiloveyouday.net/.
Congresswoman Mary Beth Walsh represents the 112th Congressional District, which includes parts of Saratoga, Schenectady, and Fulton counties.
