Making friends.
Changing lives.

Compeer in New York State

Compeer affiliate locations in New York State are sponsored by a variety of mental health and non-profit organizations.

Based on the success of Compeer Rochester, the NYS Office of Mental Health collaborated with Compeer to stimulate the development of new programs throughout the state through seed grants. Through federal block grants and OMH funding, Compeer’s New York state office was established to provide consultation, training and support to existing programs and to oversee the development of new locations.

Boston University is currently conducting a research project of Compeer programs in Elmira, Rochester and Utica to evaluate the benefits of volunteer and peer support for people with long-term mental illness.

Results

In an era of healthcare cost containment, decreased funding for mental illnesses, and skyrocketing costs of psychiatric hospitalizations and traditional support systems, Compeer addresses a New York state problem by providing a creative and cost-effective solution through utilization of volunteers as adjuncts to therapy. The inpatient psychiatric stay per adult per diem rate is $699.96 per day. The inpatient psychiatric stay per child per diem rate at is $969.05 per day. (Rates provided by NYS Patient Resources)

Mental health consumers matched with Compeer volunteers use mental health services more appropriately and have lower re-hospitalization rates than consumers without adequate support systems.

Milestones

100,500+ Volunteer hours provided in New York state
2,500+ Children and adults served in New York state
$1,765,109 Value of services provided by volunteers (according to an Independent Sector survey)

For more information, please contact Johanna Ambrose, coordinator of the Compeer New York State Region.