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November 27, 2007

Public concerned with possible closure of mental-health unit

By ANDREA VanVALKENBURG

PLATTSBURGH -- After being diagnosed with bipolar and post-traumatic-stress disorders, Tracey Staub credits CVPH Medical Center's Mental Health Unit with helping her manage the illnesses and lead a substance-free lifestyle.

"They have excellent counselors and accessibility and if it weren't for them, I wouldn't be standing before you today," said the Plattsburgh resident who found herself on the streets and in jail before she was treated at the inpatient unit at the Plattsburgh hospital.

Staub, who has been sober for more than a year, was one of many local residents who attended the National Alliance on Mental Illness of Champlain Valley's community meeting about the potential closure of CVPH's Mental Health Unit.

The CVPH Adult Mental Health Unit has been operating for more than 40 years and has seen a steady increase of patients in recent years. In 2006, the unit provided treatment for 719 patients, about 200 more than were served in 2004.

The units are the primary inpatient-treatment services to residents from primarily Clinton, Essex and Franklin counties, where the mental-illness rates are some of the highest in the state and continue to climb.

But as the demand for services continues, hospital officials have grown increasingly concerned with reimbursement rates in the adolescent and adult units, citing a $1.5 million loss in 2006 and an estimated $2.5 million loss this year for the not-for-profit hospital.

NAMI Champlain Valley officials convened Tuesday evening's forum to hear from patients, families, treatment providers and law-enforcement officials about the impact they would have if the unit was closed by its ongoing funding and staffing problems.

Local teenager Gabby Palmer said she knows firsthand the affect the potential closure could have for herself and her family.

The teen has been admitted to the local unit three times in the last two years and once in Vermont, a stay that cost her more in ambulance fees than care and distance that separated her from her loved ones when she needed them the most.

She said she felt more isolated from her family and nervous returning home, wondering how their relationship would be since the distance left them out of her treatment and counseling process.

"I think it (the CVPH unit) saved my family; the distance makes it too hard to recover.

"Why would you rip apart a family in time of crisis when you need them the most?" she asked, echoing the concern of many residents who wonder what will happen if patients can only be treated more than 100 miles from home.

Barbara Doh, whose daughter suffers from bipolar disorder and has been hospitalized several times, said her loved one was once transferred to a facility more than 100 miles away because the local unit was filled to capacity.

"It was a very traumatic time for her," the Plattsburgh resident said, knowing the difficulty the distance posed her recovery.

"My feeling is that we need an expansion of this mental-health facility," she said to a deafening round of applause from the estimated 125 people in attendance.

Evelyne Tropper said mental-health inpatient services are much needed and have consistently helped her daughter manage her 15-year battle with mental illness.

Plattsburgh City Police Chief Desmond Racicot and State Police Sgt. Robert Mesick said the units are a great resource and asset for law enforcement and the community.

Mesick said that just between the Malone, Chazy and Plattsburgh State Police barracks, authorities have been involved with 367 calls that involved mental illnesses and often provide initial transports to the hospital for care.

Racicot said a closure would be an unbelievable burden on the community.

"This would be a crisis situation for us," he said. "We have to keep this mental-health unit open. It's imperative."

Both Mesick and Racicot said a closure could lead to more suicides, mental-illness related calls, possibly arrests, and would ultimately place a heavier burden on the prison system, where many residents suffering from mental illnesses could find themselves without adequate inpatient care.

On Tuesday, hospital representatives said they are continuing to work with state officials in an effort to resolve the ongoing financial and staffing concerns and have maintained there are no immediate plans to close the unit.

avanvalkenburg@pressrepublican.com

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