[NYAPRS Enews] NYAPRS First Look at Gov Cuomo's Revised OMH Reconfiguration Plans

[Harvey Rosenthal]

NYAPRS Note: Yesterday, Governor Cuomo announced an overhaul of previous plans to close 3 state psychiatric centers that will, in total, keep all 62 children's beds open and retain 148 of 227 adult beds in those facilities. In closing 79 adult beds (one adult ward per facility), it will create a combined total of $9 million in community service expansions in the 3 areas.
The $9 million will be used to create 158 new community residential beds (details pending) and will also add a range of new community services across the 3 areas, which appear to be in keeping with recommendations from the regional planning groups.
We are looking to get estimations as to how much of the $9 million represents the value of redeployed state employees and how much represents nonprofit services expansions.
We are expecting that reconfiguration plans affecting other OMH facilities will free up an additional $16 million in savings that will allow the state to keep pace with the commitment to reinvest $25 million in the coming year.
It's our hope that state lawmakers' increased interest in mental health services has created a greater appreciation of the value and critical importance of expanding community services in their localities.
The following is taken from the Governor's news releases which can be found at http://www.governor.ny.gov/press/12192013-st-lawrence-psychiatric-center and
http://www.governor.ny.gov/press/12192013-greater-binghamton-health-center.

ST LAWRENCE PSYCHIATRIC CENTER
The original plan called for the elimination of all 65 adult beds and 28 children and adolescent beds. The revised plan retains 40 adult and all 28 children's beds, closing one 25 bed adult ward that is expected to free up and reinvest $3 million into enhanced community services. 50 community residential beds will be created.

The Governor's revised plan creates does the following:

Children and Adolescent Services
Creates an expanded Children's Behavioral Health Center of Excellence (CBHCE) for the North Country which will include retaining the 28 facility beds and use a share of the reinvestment dollars to create:

  *   Increased clinic capacity and access in targeted communities,
  *   An expanded Day Treatment program which would increase the number of existing classrooms,
  *   A new Mobile Integration Team to respond to calls from schools, families, and pediatric services to provide assessment, consultation, first line treatment, and linkages to services,
  *   Expanded tele-psychiatry to improve access in rural settings and provide comprehensive assessments to facilitate connection to the most appropriate level of care (such as forensic/violence assessments, juvenile sex offender evaluation, psychological assessment for educational services), and
  *   Evidenced-based treatment services at all sites including dialectical behavioral therapy, cognitive behavior therapy, and multi-systemic therapy along with state of the art family based interventions to improve outcomes and increase youth's resiliency.

Adult Services
The Governor's plan will keep 40 adult beds open and use reinvestment funds freed up by the closure of the 25 bed ward to create the following community service expansions:

  *   Expanded Mobile Crisis and Support capacity with first episode psychosis and peer support capacity to provide assessment, consultation, first line treatment, and linkages to services. In addition, this team will provide case management like services to individuals struggling to maintain community tenure,
  *   Increased clinic capacity and access in targeted counties,
  *   A new community mental health forensic program to develop and manage pretrial release plans for seriously mentally ill persons entering jails in the North Country,
  *   Expand tele-psychiatry to improve access in rural settings, and
  *   Expand community access to the 24 bed Northwoods residential program for community hospitals to use as step-down units.

The SLPC will continue the operation of the Sex Offender Management and Treatment Act program, the OASAS Alcohol Treatment Center, Northwoods Residential and State community programs located off campus.
-----------------

GREATER BINGHAMTON HEALTH CENTER, ELMIRA PSYCHIATRIC CENTER
The previous plan by OMH called for closing 162 adult beds and 34 children beds in total for the two facilities.
The Governor's plan calls for retaining all children's beds and 108 adult beds. It will close 54 adult beds (an adult ward at each facility) that will free up $6 million to be reinvested into the Southern Tier community.

Children's Services

*         Retaining Binghamton's 16 beds and Elmira's 18 beds (no change)

*         Creating a Children's Behavioral Health Center of Excellence for the Southern Tier will be created at the GBHC, which will provide a full scope of children's services including:
o    Increased clinic capacity and access in targeted counties;
o    A new Mobile Integration Team to respond to calls from schools, families, and pediatric services to provide assessment, consultation, first line treatment, and linkages to services;
o    Expansion of tele-psychiatry to improve access in rural settings and provide comprehensive assessments to facilitate connection to the most appropriate level of care (such as forensic/violence assessments, juvenile sex offender evaluation, psychological assessment for educational services); and
o    Evidenced based treatment services at all sites including dialectical behavioral therapy, cognitive behavior therapy, and multi-systemic therapy along with state-of-the-art family based interventions to improve outcomes and increase youth's resiliency.

Adult Services

*         Greater Binghamton Health Center will maintain 60 adult beds and add 60 new community residential beds.

*         The Elmira Psychiatric Center will maintain 48 adult beds and add 48 new community residential beds.

*         Community Reinvestment: The reduction of one adult ward at each facility will achieve $6 million in savings which will be reinvested for the combined 108 new 'residential beds with supported housing and family care,' and other expanded adult services including:
o    a new Mobile Crisis and Support Team with first episode psychosis and peer support capacity to provide assessment, consultation, first line treatment, and linkages to services. In addition, this team will provide case management like services to individuals struggling to maintain community tenure;
o    Increased clinic capacity and access in targeted counties; and
o    Expanded tele-psychiatry to improve access in rural settings.

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://kilakwa.net/pipermail/nyaprs_kilakwa.net/attachments/20131220/30bf26cf/attachment.html>