CHENANGO – Chenango County is on the hook for more than $48,000 in inpatient hospitalization and treatment for a Valley Ridge Center for Intensive Treatment (CIT) consumer, despite claims of promises to local officials that county taxpayers would never incur any costs of the state-run CIT facility in Norwich.
The issue was brought before members of the Chenango County Health and Human Services Committee at their December monthly meeting. Chenango Behavioral Health Services Director Ruth Roberts said that her department has been billed $48,699 for intensive treatment received by a CIT consumer while in custody at the Chenango County jail.
Roberts explained that the issue stems from an incident that occurred in December, 2014, in which a CIT consumer was arraigned in Norwich Town Court on charges of assault to a Valley Ridge CIT employee. That consumer was ordered to the Chenango County Correctional Facility.
“Somewhere along that progression, it was determined that he required inpatient hospitalization, so he had to be moved,” said Roberts.
He was relocated to the Sunmount Developmental Center in Franklin County for treatment, per judge’s orders. Like Valley Ridge, the Sunmount facility is operated under the auspices of the New York State Office of People with Developmental Disabilities.
“He remained there for restorative services until the District Attorney was able to bring him back,” said Roberts, also noting that under New York mental hygiene law, the county is responsible for 50 percent of the charges of an individual’s intensive treatment while in Department of Corrections custody (total cost of treatment in this case was $140,332).
“I don’t know if we’re going to get any relief for those charges at the county level,” she added. “I have to admit, I’m not real hopeful that we’re going to be able to avoid them.”
Roberts also pointed to a bigger conversation that’s being had by mental hygiene directors across the state.
“There’s talk about these types of expenses that many counties are incurring for mental hygiene services, and the increase of these types of activities that are occurring ... There are fewer institutions, developmental centers are closing, and there are more and more individuals in need of help who end up living at the community level where they get into trouble with the criminal justice system. Some conversations are about how we can prevent these people from ending up in court.”
For now, the county is stuck with the bill for the Valley Ridge CIT consumer.
“We need to have a meeting with somebody who can explain to a Board of Supervisors, who are very unhappy that this charge is made, what’s happening,” said German Town Supervisor Richard Schlagg, who serves on the county’s Health and Human Services Committee. “We were told prior to this facility being built that there would be no expenses for these people. There would be no local cost – there are a number of people who could attest to that. Now here we are with a local cost.”
The committee agreed to sit on the bill in hopes that they can organize a meeting with state officials concerning the increasing expenses of mental hygiene services at the local level. More specifically, committee members are taking aim at Valley Ridge CIT.
“The only way to keep this discussion open is to keep that bill open,” said Committee Chairman Jeffrey Blanchard.
Said Roberts, “It’s my opinion that just because Valley Ridge sits in Chenango County, Chenango County should not take on the burden related to these costs.”
The Health and Human Services Committee hopes to eventually have state and Valley Ridge CIT representatives address the full Board of Supervisors.