NEW YORK (WCBS 880) -- New York City's proposed mental health clinics, aimed at helping people who are experiencing crises, are still in a state of uncertainty.
The clinics are considered diversion centers under the ThriveNYC program. The city plans to open one clinic in The Bronx and another in Manhattan.
The centers were first slated to open in 2016, but the city's health department struggled to find a provider. The opening was moved to December 2018, then to fall 2019, and now it has an unspecified 2020 start date.
The city says the facilities are meant to offer short-term stabilization services for those experiencing a mental health crisis. Each facility can accept about 25 people at a time.
Those who support the idea still have questions about the clinics' policies, including who would qualify for care. There are also concerns about how the facilities would handle a "guest" who has been escorted to the facilities but chooses to leave immediately.
The city plans to invest $10 million each year in the centers, which are expected to help 2,400 people annually.