SCHUMER, AFTER DELIVERING NEARLY $5 MILLION IN FED FUNDING, CUTS RIBBON ON CORTLAND COUNTY’S NEW MENTAL HEALTH FACILITY TO BOOST CARE FOR CENTRAL NY FAMILIES

Schumer Delivered Major Fed $$ To Transform A Vacant Building In Downtown Cortland Into One-Stop Shop For Mental Healthcare And Long-Term Home For Mental Health Department

Cortland County Mental Health Department Is Major Rural Behavioral Healthcare Provider In CNY That Treats More Than 1,000 Patients Every Year

Schumer: New Mental Health Building Will Help Cortland Meet Growing Demand For Mental Health Services

After launching his push to deliver federal funding four years ago, U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer returned to Cortland to cut the ribbon for the new Cortland County Mental Health Department building. The building, located in downtown Cortland, was previously vacant, but the County was able to revitalize it and bring it back to productive use thanks to the funding Schumer secured. Schumer celebrated the opening of the new facility and promised to fight for federal resources to continue delivering support for rural mental health.

"For families and farmers in Cortland County and Central NY, distance and lack of resources should never be a barrier to getting the mental healthcare you need. When local leaders came to me four years ago asking for help to transform a vacant building into a site of new hope, I promised I wouldn't stop fighting until they got every penny they needed to build the mental health facility Cortland deserves. I am proud today that a promise made becomes a promise kept," said Senator Schumer. "Today, we don't just cut a ribbon; we open a door for so many in Cortland that should have been here long ago to ensure they do not fight mental health challenges alone. I will always fight to give New York's rural communities the resources they need to address health care needs."

The senator has worked relentlessly over the past four years to deliver nearly $5 million in federal funding to transform this once vacant building downtown into a one-stop shop for mental health services and a long-term home for the department.

Schumer explained that Cortland County's mental health department was previously housed in a severely outdated building, which lacked modern necessities like sufficient high-speed internet access, critical disability accommodations, and the physical space to provide residents with the number of programs they need.

The new facility nearly doubles the space for the county's mental health treatment plans and made upgrades like an ADA-compliant elevator and high-speed internet access that significantly boosted the quality of both their in-person and telehealth treatment options. The new facility's location is a significant upgrade from its previous site, situated directly along a CENTRO bus route and centrally located within the city, making it easier for patients to walk to appointments.

With more than 1,000 patients treated every year, the new building contains space to continue offering three NYS Office of Mental Health (OMH) licensed outpatient treatment programs: Clinic, Adult Day Treatment, and Children's Mental Health Rehabilitation Services. The building also allows Cortland County's Mental Health Department to expand its Children's Mental Health Rehabilitation Services and group therapy programming.

Schumer explained that as author of the American Rescue Plan to jumpstart our nation's recovery from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, he made sure the State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds were flexible to address the long-term health and economic needs of communities. Thanks to Senator Schumer's efforts, Cortland County received over $9 million, of which $2 million in federal funding was allocated to help improve the county's mental health services. Schumer then in December 2022 stood in Cortland to successfully push for $2,955,000 in federal funding through the Fiscal Year 2023 Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education budget bill to get this project over the finish line and give Central New York rural residents the healthcare facility they have long needed.

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