Hurricane Sandy destroyed Domenick Camerada's home and business, but he says the storm took a huge toll on his emotional state as well.
"Bottom line is I lost the will to survive," said New Dorp Beach Resident Domenick Camerada.
Camerada turned to the Staten Island Mental Health Society for help. He received counseling after being diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. The nonprofit provides mental health care to nearly 6,000 Staten Islanders a year. Despite all the services the Staten Island Mental Health Society provides, directors say the nonprofit is in jeopardy due to changes in state healthcare funding.
"Over the last four years, we've actually lost 11 million dollars in Medicaid funding for the services that we provide," said Fern Zagor, President of the Staten Island Mental Health Society.
That has forced the organization to turn some people away and refer them elsewhere.
The society operates on an 18 million dollar budget with most of its funding coming from the state and is currently deciding how much money organizations like SIMHS will receive.
In a statement a spokesperson said: "The OMH is committed to preserving access to mental health services in Staten Island. OMH has designated Staten Island Mental Health Society as a vital access provider which will receive a portion of 60 million dollars allocated statewide. "
SIMHS directors say, they may also need to seek out a partner, like a larger healthcare corporation, in order to meet the needs in the borough. Clients say, it's vital the services here continue.
"There's still people in their houses, that are suffering from the storm today that need the help," said Camerada.
For more information, go to simhs.org.