OMH budget fight far from over By SHERRY HALBROOK PEF is leading the fight to protect services to the state’s mentally ill. “We are up against state budget proposals that would close two psychiatric centers, relocate four children’s psychiatric facilities onto the grounds of adult centers and move the state’s most dangerous mentally-ill criminals to a facility with regular adult patients,” says PEF President Roger Benson. For months, the union has held rallies, testified before state legislative committees, lobbied lawmakers and run newspapers ads about how the proposed budget will affect services to the mentally ill and the communities where these services are located. “We have had some success in persuading lawmakers in both the state Assembly and Senate of the need to keep Middletown and Hutchings Psychiatric Centers open,” says PEF Vice President Ken Brynien, who heads the union’s statewide Political Action Committee. PEF also has built opposition to relocating Rockland, Sagamore, Western NY and Queens psychiatric centers for children. “But it’s far from certain,” he says, “how these issues will be resolved when the state budget is finally passed. That’s why we continue to rally and will meet with lawmakers on these issues in July. “It is wrong, dangerous and definitely counter-therapeutic to put children into facilities with adult patients, to expose adult patients to mentally ill criminals, or to close local centers and force patients, their families and staff to travel long distances,” says Brynien, a psychologist. “Moving mentally ill people out of their communities and into distant or inappropriate institutions may save the state money now, but it will not speed treatment or recovery,” he adds. “So, the state will lose what it saves, by having to treat people longer.” The Communicator Home Page