*Editors note: The following letter was sent to Kristin Woodlock, acting commissioner of the Office of Mental Health by Clarkson President Anthony G. Collins.

Dear Ms. Woodlock:

Clarkson University supports the efforts to keep the St. Lawrence Psychiatric Center fully funded and operating to provide a comprehensive range of residential programs including Children/Youth Services, Adult Services and a Sex Offender Treatment Program.

With five colleges and universities located within St. Lawrence County, and many more in the St. Lawrence Psychiatric Center's catchment area, there is clearly the potential to form the educational affiliations and partnerships needed to develop this facility into a "Regional Center ofExcellence." As you are aware, this is a geographically large and rural part of the State, and the St. Lawrence Psychiatric Center is the only such facility in this region. For over I 00 years, the St. Lawrence Psychiatric Center has provided high quality care for residents of this region. Without this Center, travel and access to other facilities outside of this region would be a hardship and a potential deterrent to care for a population of individuals and families that are already economically stressed.

The critical mass of job-creating for-profit, not-for-profit, and government sector institutions varies from community to community in the North Country. But, in St. Lawrence County, government levels play a disproportionately larger role than that in many counties downstate. For this reason it is clear that the closure of the St. Lawrence Psychiatric Center will have a significant, negative impact on employment in St. Lawrence County, where the unemployment rate already exceeds the statewide average. Unfortunately, St. Lawrence County also exceeds the statewide average for other significant indices of economic distress.

Clarkson faculty and students have worked with economic development professionals in municipal and county government to support the competitiveness of for-profit, technology-based companies in the area and to attract new technology-based companies and will continue these efforts because it is good for the community and good experience for our faculty and students. But the economic downturn in this country and in Canada makes it is a more challenging proposition. The job loss associated with a facility closure of this magnitude could undermine the City's ability to provide the range of government services and K-12 educational opportunities that make or break a community like Ogdensburg's ability to attract private sector development to the area.

Clarkson University extends its full support to keep the St. Lawrence Psychiatric Center fully-funded and operating.

Anthony G. Collins, President

Clarkson University