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Decision on fate of Ogdensburg's St. Lawrence Psychiatric Center, other state facilities delayed until July 8

Posted 5/31/13

OGDENSBURG -- The decision on the fate of state mental health facilities, including the St. Lawrence Psychiatric Center in Ogdensburg, has been delayed, according to acting state Mental Health …

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Decision on fate of Ogdensburg's St. Lawrence Psychiatric Center, other state facilities delayed until July 8

Posted

OGDENSBURG -- The decision on the fate of state mental health facilities, including the St. Lawrence Psychiatric Center in Ogdensburg, has been delayed, according to acting state Mental Health Commissioner Kristin M. Woodlock.

“The Office of Mental Health is looking forward to releasing our Regional Centers of Excellence Plan on July 8, 2013,” the commissioner said in an announcement Friday.

Ogdensburg was the last stop on Woodlock’s May tour of communities with state mental health hospitals to explain her office’s plan to develop “centers of excellence,” emphasizing that New York has far more such hospitals than other states, and implying that some of the state’s 24 facilities would be closed.

At the time the commissioner suggested that an announcement of her office’s intentions would be forthcoming.

The Ogdensburg community and citizens from around St. Lawrence County presented strong support for the Ogdensburg hospital during her visit and in letters and other communications since then.

Among the points those people made were the hundreds of jobs the hospital provides in the job-starved North Country, and the location of the hospital, 100 or more miles from the next-nearest facility, thus being the only such facility in the broad North Country region.

In her announcement, Woodlock said whatever plan emerges would be:

“1. Good for the adults, children and families we serve.

2. Built from the strengths of the OMH.

3. Multi-year and provides predictability for consumers, families, counties and our workforce.

4. Supportive of our workforce and offers both continuity of employment and value to the behavioral health system.”

She thanked the “nearly 2,000 consumers, youth, family, providers, staff and community members who participated in the OMH Regional Centers of Excellence Listening Tour.”