ALBANY, N.Y. -- Seth Dresskie is a psychiatric nurse practitioner in the Bronx. He says the proposed cuts to medicaid and medicare on the federal level will be devastating to mental health patients. 

"It takes you a month or two months to see a psychologist so by the time you come out of the hospital, you get 30 days worth of medication, you run out of medication, you relapse, you're psychologic again, and you end up back in the hospital," Dresskie said. 

Frustrated by lack of care for mental health patients, Dresskie joined dozens of nurses from around the state at the Empire State Plaza on Saturday. 

The goal- to stop budget cuts against mental health treatment.

"We're seeing big up surge in violence because people who are mentally ill are not getting the care that they need," said Judy Sheridan-Gonzalez, president of the New York State Nurses Association.

The event was organized by the New York State Nurses Association. It started with a march across the capitol concourse before rallying by the Corning Tower.

They're also demanding equal care for mental and behavioral health patients. The nurses association say lawmakers need to recognize the growing need and address the issue. 

"We're really demanding that the state try to do it's due diligence and try to make up for the fact that we're dealing with these horrible cuts and what they call tax reform," Sheridan-Gonzalez said.