June 24, 2011 --- In response to the announcement by the county Board of Legislators of a rally Saturday to protest the Astorino Administration’s plans to close the county’s mental health clinics, including one in Mount Vernon, Dr. Grant Mitchell, the commissioner of the county’s Department of Community Mental Health, issued the following statement:

I am saddened to learn of the rally and march planned for tomorrow against the closing of the mental health clinics. As of this date, only 31 patients remain that need to be transferred to other community providers and we expect that these transfers will be completed next week. Thanks to the professionalism of the staff, the commitment of the Department of Community Mental Health and our non-profit partners, the transition has proceeded remarkably well. We started with two commitments: First, if we were going to close county-operated clinics, we would need to be assured that every resident would continue to have access to high-quality, affordable mental health services in their communities. Second, that every patient would receive continuous treatment until they were transitioned to a new provider of their choice. Both of these commitments have been met with the transition plan created and implemented over the past several months.

Westchester County began operating mental health clinics during the 1950’s when there were few options for vulnerable individuals who had serious mental illness and were unable to afford private treatment. Almost 60 years later, more than 25 mental health clinics operated by 13 providers now exist in the county. This growth in the system includes not only non-profit providers, but also a “safety-net” of mental health clinics operated by the New York State Office of Mental Health. All of these clinics treat the same populations served by the county-operated clinics, including people with serious mental illness, those on Medicaid, and individuals without insurance and who cannot afford care. In every town that the county operated a mental health clinic, there are one or more clinics providing the same service. This enabled individuals being treated at a county clinic to continue to receive treatment without leaving their community.

Early in our discussions, we met with many non-profit clinic providers to determine their willingness and ability to expand in order to accommodate county patients. Many committed to expanding their capacity and have over the past few months (in some cases hiring county staff).  In fact, a brand new mental health clinic in Mount Vernon operated by the Guidance Center held its opening reception just yesterday. 

Finally, the decision to close the county-operated mental health clinics was made after reviewing the options and impact for over a year. The Department of Community Mental Health met with the New York State Office of Mental Health early on in the process and has been in contact with them throughout and they have been supportive of the closing as a result of their review of our transition plan (see below). This change will save the county $3 million that it can use to provide other essential services to residents.

It should also be noted that the county’s decision to no longer operate the mental health clinics ends a long-standing conflict of interest. As both a provider of care and the regulator of that care the county was playing two roles that are best separated. Going forward, the Department of Community Mental Health will continue its responsibility as the regulator of mental health services. 

As of late Friday afternoon, I was in touch with the New York State Office of Mental Health, and was assured that they were supportive of our work. 

Summary of Transition Plan
In order to ensure the successful transition of all county patients to the not-for-profit community, DCMH developed a process guided by several principles.  These principles included (1) every patient will receive continuous treatment regardless of when they transfer to another provider, (2) all patients will be assisted with their transfer – assigning DCMH central office staff to the clinics to serve as transition coordinators, (3) patients will choose a provider – not dictated by DCMH, (4) every effort will be made to notify patients of the clinic closures, (5) provide a way for patients to contact DCMH with questions during and after the transition, (6) satisfy state and Board of Legislators requirements for closure, (7) track providers ability to expand sufficiently to service patients, (8) assist staff with other employment opportunities, (9) every patient will be transferred to another provider, if desired and (10) end DCMH contract with DSS for the provision of SHAC services while helping to ensure that another provider is in place.