A crisis center rejected — but the crisis remains

Dear Editor,

I am saddened and disappointed but not surprised by the Carmel Planning Board decision to reject the site plan application that would have brought a Crisis Stabilization Center to the Carmel Hamlet.

As a resident of Putnam for over 30 years, I have observed NIMBY (not in my backyard) time and again in decisions that impact many residents of this county. As a former Associate Executive Director/Vice President of CoveCare Center in Carmel, I have watched our community reject plans for homeless shelters and housing programs to benefit those residents with mental health issues, always citing “...the proposed location was inappropriate...” – just another way of saying “not in my backyard.” But my experience as the interim director of the Crisis Stabilization Center in Poughkeepsie for nine months and currently as a psychiatric crisis consultant in our Putnam Hospital Center (PHC) emergency department has provided me with a unique perspective.

The article in Mahopac News cites opponents’ claims that the community already is home to Arms Acres, CoveCare and the county jail. None of these institutions provides the services of a Crisis Stabilization Center. Sadly, it depicts a total misunderstanding of what a Crisis Stabilization Center’s function is. It is not a housing program; people do not reside there. It is not a treatment program; people do not attend treatment programs there. It is not a jail or place to hold those who have been convicted of a crime. It is a specialized site designed to serve those in our community who are experiencing a behavioral health crisis and need linkage to services to help with these issues. It is a behavioral health emergency room.

Even more stunning: We already serve these people in our community. In our emergency room in PHC we serve your daughters, your sons, your mothers and fathers, your neighbors - we serve you. You and your loved ones come into the ER daily with anxiety, with depression, intoxicated, overdosed on drugs and prescription medications, and sometimes having attempted to take your own life. You and your loved ones are seen and assessed in our ER, and we help to link you to needed services and resources. You are treated with kindness and respect, and more often than not, you and your loved ones are thankful for these services. Yet an ER is not always the ideal setting for such services. It can add hours since most ERs (including PHC) do not have crisis consultants on site 24/7. ER staff are not trained mental health professionals whose expertise is dealing with behavioral health crises. And individuals with behavioral health needs add to the already strained resources of the medical staff in an ER, which must follow sometimes unnecessary medical clearance procedures for such individuals. While some behavioral health crises do require such medical intervention, many of these individuals, people who already live in our community and are served in our local hospital, could be diverted to a Crisis Stabilization Center.

So, Putnam, what are we really saying no to? And in whose backyard do our loved ones belong in?

-Alison Carroll, Mahopac