Dutchess County Executive Marcus J. Molinaro joined with state and
local officials, behavioral and community health providers, and members
of the community today to celebrate the grand opening of the Dutchess
County Stabilization Center. The new facility is a 24/7, non-medical,
voluntary, walk-in center for individuals experiencing crisis resulting
from mental health or substance abuse issues.
The Stabilization Center provides law enforcement and the County's 24/7
Mobile Crisis Intervention Team with the ability to divert individuals
with behavioral health or substance abuse issues so they can receive
immediate assistance and services in order to de-escalate crisis and
plan for ongoing services upon release. The Stabilization Center is an
innovative partnership with several community health agencies that is
unique in New York State. This critical resource will help in the
County's efforts to divert individuals dealing with mental illness from
hospital emergency rooms or from entering the criminal justice system.
County Executive Molinaro said, "This Stabilization Center is the
result of a unique public-private collaboration, and we thank our
community partners for their cooperation in bringing this life-saving
facility to fruition. This facility is a model for New York and the
nation, one that can be replicated throughout America as we improve the
lives of our neighbors living with mental health and substance abuse
issues."
Located at 230 North Road in Poughkeepsie, the Stabilization Center is
open 24 hours a day, seven days a week and welcomes individuals of all
ages and families. The center is 100 percent voluntary – guests can
walk in at any time; there are no appointments needed – and people may
stay at the Center for 23 hours at a time. No one is turned away due to
lack of insurance or inability to pay. Upon leaving the Stabilization
Center, individuals receive follow-up and monitoring from Stabilization
Center staff to ensure success after their stay.
Among the services available at the Stabilization Center, individuals and families can receive:
· Crisis Counseling and Mental Health Assessments
· Supervised Outpatient Withdrawal Services
· Addictions and Substance Use Counseling
· Peer Advocacy and Supports
· Youth and Family Counseling
· Links to Community-based Resources
The Stabilization Center represents a collaborative effort with several
contributing community partners including: MidHudson Regional Hospital,
Mid-Hudson Addiction Recovery Center (MARC) providing addiction and
sobering services, Astor Services for Children & Families providing
youth and family expertise, and PEOPLe, Inc. offering vital peer
advocate resources.
MidHudson Regional Hospital, a member of the Westchester Medical Center
Health Network, is a critical partner in the Stabilization Center.
MidHudson Regional has provided more than $100,000 in financial support
for the center and provides four full-time nursing staff for the
center's operations. As the local community leader in providing
psychiatric services, MidHudson Regional recognized the need for this
community resource and has been instrumental in making the center a
reality.
"As one of New York State's largest providers of behavioral health
services, Westchester Medical Center Health Network is committed to
providing Dutchess County residents with access to high-quality care
right in their communities," said Eric Amoh, Senior Vice President,
Clinical Services, Westchester Medical Center Health Network. "WMCHealth
has invested in the future success of the innovative Dutchess
Stabilization Center with around-the-clock clinical staffing from our
nearby MidHudson Regional Hospital, with a shared goal of reducing
unnecessary emergency department and hospital use and connecting
residents with the appropriate care they need. We are thrilled with the
opportunity to play a key role in this one-of-a-kind effort to benefit
our communities."
The Stabilization Center began providing services in February and more
than 100 people have already been assisted including individuals dealing
with opiate abuse issues. Several individuals have been brought to
the Stabilization Center by local law enforcement, many of whom have
received the County sponsored Crisis Intervention Training (CIT), who
recognized the individuals were experiencing mental health crisis and
chose to bring them to the Stablization Center rather than the emergency
room or Dutchess County Jail.
Construction of the Stabilization Center began in early 2016, following
the unanimous adoption of a $4.8 million bond resolution by the
Dutchess County Legislature in December 2015. The center is housed with
Dutchess County Department of Behavioral & Community Health mental
health division offices to centrally locate services including the
County's 24/7 HELPLINE, Mobile Crisis Intervention Team, and other
diversion services including the County's Partial Hospitalization
Program, an acute, short term, outpatient, day program designed to
reduce hospital length of stay or avoid hospitalization altogether.
Dutchess County Legislature Chairman Dale Borchert said, "Dutchess
County is leading New York State with our approach to addressing mental
health issues. The County Legislature was proud to support the
funding to build this innovative center and are proud of the work being
done there by our dedicated DBCH employees as well as our community
partners. The Stabilization Center is going to make a positive
difference in the lives of many people."
As part of the grand opening celebration, the Stabilization Center was
dedicated to former Dutchess County Commissioner of Mental Hygiene, Dr.
Kenneth M. Glatt, Ph.D., ABPP for his efforts to assist those dealing
with mental illness and for his contributions toward the creation of the
County's HELPLINE service. Dr. Glatt was the County's longest serving
Commissioner of Mental Hygiene, having served 35 years as Commissioner
before his retirement in May 2015.
"Today's dedication is the highest honor of my professional career. I
thank County Executive Molinaro for the recognition," said Dr. Glatt.
Dr. Glatt was the driving force behind the creation of the Mobile
Crisis Intervention Team (MCIT), a key component of the County's
diversion program. The MCIT is dispatched through HELPLINE and
responds immediately to individuals in crisis to help avoid an Emergency
Department (ED) visit and/or support individuals in the community
following a brief ED intervention.
The team assists individuals in a wide variety of ways, from telephone
reassurance and medication prescription assistance to counseling and
even attending court arraignments to help divert an individual into
mental health treatment services rather than being incarcerated. Since
it's inception, the team has assisted thousands of individuals and the
new Stabilization Center now serves as a critical resource in their
efforts by offering a safe place to de-escalate and be connected with
vital services.
The MCIT began in 2012 when Dutchess County began receiving $1.5
million in funding from the New York State Office of Mental Health
(NYSOMH) to support programs focused on decreasing and diverting
inpatient admissions, facilitating discharges and strengthening the
continuum of services for people impacted by the Hudson River
Psychiatric Center closure and other community residents with mental
health needs.
With support from Dutchess County's state representatives, Senator Sue
Serino and Assemblymember Didi Barrett, the County has continued to
receive this crucial annual funding and both Barrett and Serino have
been vital in securing millions in additional funding to assist with
mental health and jail diversion programming.
Senator Sue Serino said, "Overcoming the stigma that surrounds mental
illness starts with ensuring that those in our community who are
struggling have easy access to the critical tools and support they need.
This stabilization center has the potential to help individuals and
families proactively overcome some of their greatest challenges and will
not only save lives, it will transform them. Turning our County
Executive's unique vision into a reality takes committed partners at
every level, and I am proud to have played a role in securing the
funding necessary to make it happen. I am even prouder to play a role in
sending a clear message to those who are struggling that their mental
health—and their lives—matter and to be able to remind them that help is
always available."
"I have long believed that more attention and resources must be focused
on behavioral and mental health, and that includes addiction and
substance abuse, which have devastated our families and reached crisis
proportions in our region," said Assemblymember Didi Barrett (D,
Columbia-Dutchess). "I am pleased to provide Dutchess County with state
funding to support needed reforms to the criminal justice system – to
focus more on mental health, drug addiction and special populations –
and to fund innovative county programs like the Stabilization Center."
The establishment of the Stabilization Center is the final component in
the County's ongoing efforts to drive down the rate of recidivism and
to intervene and divert individuals in crisis from community emergency
rooms and the criminal justice system. Crisis Intervention Team (CIT)
training for law enforcement officers and first responders, the Mobile
Crisis Intervention Team, Alternative to Incarceration programming, and
the 24/7 HELPLINE all work together to work towards the County's goal of
reducing avoidable hospital visits and jail admissions.
The Dutchess County Stabilization Center model is being closely watched
by agencies throughout New York State who hope to replicate similar
efforts in their communities. Members of the New York City Bureau of
Mental Health recently toured the center, after researching and visiting
facilities in several other states, and noted "Dutchess County has
built a foundation that brings mental health services together in a way
that no one else has."