Governor Andrew Cuomo, who along with his Mental Health Commissioner pushed for closing the Western New York Children's Psychiatric Center and merging it with the Buffalo Psychiatric Center, has since decided to leave the West Seneca facility open, a state official confirmed late Tuesday afternoon.
According to that state official in Albany, speaking anonymously, the Governor's Office took a closer look at the call to leave the center open and realized it's clearly what the people want.
"I was pleasantly surprised," said State Senator Robert Ortt, who chairs the Senate's Mental Health Committee. "In this business, a lot of times when you're surprised it's not always pleasantly. This is absolutely a pleasant surprise."
Ortt credited years of advocacy from psychiatric center employees, families of patients and elected officials throughout Western New York, noting the entire local delegation to the State Legislature was behind keeping the West Seneca campus open.
The full legislature had acted to keep the center open but Governor Cuomo last fall vetoed their bill.
State Senator Patrick Gallivan's district includes the West Seneca campus. He told WBFO the Western New York Children's Psychiatric Center is among the highest-rated for quality in the nation and he is pleased that the governor now seems to recognize that.
"Citizens care about this, and we know patients and families and the people who work there and others throughout Western New York have spoken up on this issue," Gallivan said. "Their elected officials have paid attention to this. They've listened to the community."
The state official who spoke with WBFO said an official statement will come within the next few days but the administration was looking forward to expanding services while leaving the children's campus open. A section of the Buffalo Psychiatric Center where young patients were to be moved will now be considered for other uses.
Gallivan previously suggested that space might be better utilized as a drug treatment center. WBFO asked him if that was still his preferred option.
"It was one of the suggestions. The Governor's Office has reached out to me and I've talked with them and, of course, looking at what is the best alternative use is something that's important to everybody in Western New York," Gallivan said. "I think the obligation now is to look at all of the potential uses and determine what the best one is. Dealing with opioid treatment might be one of those uses but I think it's premature until it's fully looked into."
Opponents of closing the children's campus argued that moving patients as young as four years old to the same campus as adult mental health patients would put the younger population at risk.
"This is something that worked," Ortt said. "There's a lot of challenges in the mental health community, particularly when you talk about children's mental health. This was something that was working. It was almost a solution in search of a problem.
"I understand there was the urge to save money but it wasn't, in the state's perspective, a lot of money. And I think in this case, the care that those children receive there, and the outcomes that they have achieved over the years, outweigh the cost in this situation."
The Save the WNY Children's Psychiatric Center Coalition reacted late Tuesday with gratitude, including a thank you message to Governor Cuomo.
How it all came together will forever be a mystery but @SaveWNYCPC is extremely grateful that mental services for children and youth will remain In West Seneca. We will never be able to say thank you enough to all our supporters. @NYGovCuomo thanks for doing the right thing.
— SAVE WNYCPC NOW! (@SaveWNYCPC) April 3, 2018
Just hours before, local attorney Steven Cohen had announced his request to State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli to investigate the governor and the possible motives behind wanting to shut down the children's facility. He later told WBFO that while he was awaiting word from the governor's office, the development effectively ended his request.
"Whether the Comptroller decides to go ahead with an inquiry as to what the governor may have planned, I don't know and I'm not concerned at all with that," Cohen said.
"If the governor keeps this facility open, if we get formal confirmation of that, this case is closed and we will be celebrating."
The state official told WBFO a formal statement was expected within the next few days.
