Lupinacci, Colleagues Write To Governor In Support of Sagamore Children's Psychiatric Center

Assemblyman Chad Lupinacci (R,C,WF,I-Huntington Station) and nineteen of his Assembly colleagues from Long Island sent a letter to Gov. Cuomo urging him to reconsider the Office of Mental Health’s (OMH) plan, which includes a scale-back of services and potential closure of the Sagamore Children’s Psychiatric Center. In the letter, the lawmakers warned that closure of the facility would result in many of these children – who previously received the support they needed – missing out on vital resources.

“Sagamore Children’s Psychiatric Center and its staff have successfully served our most vulnerable youth for the past 45 years,” said Lupinacci. “Discontinuation of these services would cause irreparable harm to many children and their families. Forcing our families to travel into Queens and the Bronx to receive support during a time of crisis would create a tremendous burden for families already in need of support. My colleagues and I strongly urge the Office of Mental Health to reconsider other options before imposing this hardship on our communities.”

Sagamore Children’s Psychiatric Center serves Nassau and Suffolk county youth between the ages of 6 and 17. This currently includes inpatient, outpatient, clinical support and emergency services. The facility has 54 beds for inpatient treatment and currently operates with a wait list for inpatient services.

“I’m dedicated to ensuring the important services offered at Sagamore remain available, because we can’t let some of the most vulnerable in our community suffer. The Sagamore Children's Psychiatric Center and its staff have a long history of providing quality and accessible care to many children suffering from psychological issues, and continuing to provide this care is critical,” concluded Lupinacci.

Under the current proposal by OMH, inpatient services would cease at Sagamore and many children suffering from mental health aliments could be forced to travel to Queens or the Bronx for care. Lupinacci is encouraging residents to add their names to his petition. Those wishing to sign the petition can do so by visiting https://apps.facebook.com/my-surveys/tyacu.

Video of Assemblyman Lupinacci speaking on the issue can found by visiting: http://youtu.be/z1OKnqetOck.