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New clinic in Walton to host open house

The Daily Star - 5/6/2022

May 6—The new Delaware County Behavioral Health Clinic, which opened on Nov. 8, and will host a ribbon-cutting and tour May 17 at 3 p.m.

The official opening was delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The building, at 243 Delaware St. in Walton, combines the adult mental health clinic that was at 1 Hospital Road in Walton, the children's mental health clinic that was at a building on Shepard Street in Walton and the drug and alcohol abuse services that were in Hamden.

"It's more convenient for clients to get here," JoAnn Miller, administrative assistant at the behavioral health clinic, said. "It's more centrally located."

The building also allows clients who are seen for mental health and alcohol and/or drug treatment to book their appointments back to back. "This is more convenient for clients," she said. "It's better for them. It's easier for them to get transportation if it's one trip and one location."

Miller said clients have also been able to make it to their appointments more easily now that both services are housed under one building.

Miller said the county serves about 700 clients at the clinic. The mental health clinic treats clients with a variety of conditions including depression, anxiety, schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, she said. The children's mental health clinic also treats children up to age 18 and their family members who have experienced trauma. She said a majority of the clients in alcohol and drug abuse services program are referred to the program by courts, but some decide they need help combatting a drug or alcohol addiction.

She said there has been an increase in the number of children and adults seen for mental health and the number in need of drug and alcohol abuse treatment since the COVID-19 pandemic began.

She said children had been home for so long, once they went back to school it was hard for some of them to adjust. She said some people were afraid to leave their houses and struggled once the restrictions were lifted. She also said more people realized they had a drug or alcohol problem after being home all day drinking or taking drugs, that they sought treatment on their own or by court order.

The clinic is "at least twice, if not three times the size" of the clinic at 1 Hospital Road, she said. "Clients come in and say 'it's so big.' We get complements about all the different colors of the inside walls."

Miller gave a quick tour of the building, pointing out the different amenities for clients and staff. Clients enter the main lobby, where they are greeted by Michele Gregory at the front desk. They are then buzzed into the main part of the building and go to a second waiting area. Adult clients stay on the main floor, while children are seen on the second floor.

She said the rooms are bigger than they were at the other facilities, allowing the clients and therapists room to space out, and allowing a parent and up to two children enough room to be with the therapist. There is also a room off to the side on the first floor that allows a client to be picked up and taken to a hospital more easily, she said. In the last building, clients were led out the front door for everyone to see, she said.

Miller invited anyone who is interested in touring the building to come to the ribbon-cutting and open house. She said Walton Town Supervisor Joe Cetta will lead the ribbon cutting.

Representatives from the state Office of Addiction Services and Supports and the state Office of Mental Health will speak, as will Board of Supervisors Chair Tina Mole. After the speeches, guests will be able to tour the facility, have refreshments and vote on their favorite student poster, she said.

Masks must be worn because the building is a health facility. Registrations are appreciated and can be made by emailing joann.miller@co.delaware.ny.us

The county Department of Mental Health and the Alcohol and Drug Abuse Council of Delaware County are also co-sponsoring a student poster contest. Students can submit posters that reflect a message of how the student sees or thinks about one of these values: safety, trustworthiness, choice, collaboration or empowerment.

The theme is "Together for Mental Health." Students are broken into three age groups — 5 to 9, 10 to14 and 15 to 18. The deadline is May 12. For more information, call 607-746-8300 or email ticommunityproject@yahoo.com

Vicky Klukkert, staff writer, can be reached at vklukkert@thedailystar.com or 607-441-7221. Follow her @DS_VickyK on Twitter.

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