OGDENSBURG -- State Sen. Patty Ritchie (R-Heuvelton) delivered a petition including 2,100 signatures and personal stories in support of the St. Lawrence Psychiatric Center to Albany officials at today’s “listening session” held at the center.

The signatures and stories were collected via www.savethecenter.org, a website Ritchie created to allow people to sign her petition as well as share news and updates on the center.

Ritchie said the purpose was “to send a strong message to Albany that the St. Lawrence Psych Center is a vital part of the North Country, providing quality, life-changing care benefiting its patients and their families, as well as supporting hundreds of jobs.”

“The signatures and stories I was able to collect span the country and come from as far away as California, Texas, Indiana and Alaska. I plan to keep the petition up and running to give people a way to show their support as Albany officials continue discussions about mental healthcare in New York State.”

In addition to delivering the petition, Ritchie participated in a rally that took place this morning and also joined more than 300 others at the listening session, where she spoke in support of the facility.

The Ogdensburg listening session was the last of 12 being held across the state to collect the public’s comments on a plan that could result in consolidation and reduced services at some of the state’s mental health facilities.