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percent of the patient population does come from New York City.
Now, at the time that Hoch became the Commissioner, not more than 10 percent of the patients--this is in '55--had been treated with any reserpine or Thorazine, and he saw a great opportunity to increase this number because he knew that these drugs worked and that other drugs which were coming into the picture probably would work.
So, in an effort to get more funds for the State Mental Health Department Jane McDonough and I flew to Albany in mid-October, '55, with a proposal for research and training in the mental hospitals in New York State of 10 million 450 thousand dollars. I got to a meeting of the Mental Health Committee of the Commission just in time to suggest that we include this suggested research program in our recommendations to the Governor. There was a commission which was meeting to make suggestions to the Governor.
Was this to become then a part of the state budget?
Yes. Amazingly enough, in the meeting Drs. Greenberg, Moe Kaufman and Dr. George Stevenson accepted my proposal of 10 million 450 thousand dollars which was much more than they had in the budget, and ours was the only committee of the commission to make any specific money proposals. Harriman commented on it an the next day at a meeting of the full Commission, and expressed his sympathy with the general idea of the need for more money for research and training in the area.
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