Need for Armonk Treatment Center Debated at Hearing
Testimony from two witnesses called by the Town of North Castle and a California-based treatment center looking to operate a community residence in Armonk presented sharply divergent arguments about whether the facility is needed.
The hearing was triggered after the North Castle Town Board formally objected to Paradigm’s application to the state to treat up to eight youths 12 to 17 years old at 14-16 Cole Drive on Jan. 25. Since November, residents on Cole Drive and Davis Drive and others in the community have strenuously objected to the plan, arguing there was no need for the facility and that it would significantly alter the neighborhood.
Paradigm Treatment Centers founder and CEO Andrew Cole Rucker, the first of five witnesses to testify Monday at a state Office of Mental Health (OMH) commissioner’s hearing in Poughkeepsie, said he looked to open a facility in the region because nearly one-third of the youths they treat for depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder and co-occurring dependency issues at their California facilities come from New York.
In 2016, there were 38 New York clients, including 18 from Westchester, Rucker said. In 2015, there were 35 youths from New York who went through the program. Over each of the past two years, there were 285 and 315 inquiries, respectively, received by Paradigm from families in New York State.
During two hours of questioning, Rucker said that after a meeting last October with officials from the county Department of Community Mental Health, he believed they were receptive to the plan.
“What we’re trying to do is be a productive addition as we come into the area and we want to have the approval of OMH,” Rucker said.
But Michael Orth, deputy commissioner for the Westchester County Department of Community Mental Health, the final witness of the day, said there have been “historical vacancies” at the three regional facilities that provide single point of access (SPOA) services geared toward adolescents for similar issues. Each of the facilities, which can accommodate a maximum of eight residents, are located in Pleasantville, New Rochelle and Orange County and have not reached capacity at any time over the past two years.
He also said the county didn’t generate a letter of support because there was never clarity regarding Paradigm’s program.
“I think the reason why there never was a letter of support sent by us is because we were unsure of the scope of services there were providing,” Orth said.
On Feb. 23, Commissioner Michael Herceg, Orth’s superior, wrote a letter stating there was no need for additional facilities in Westchester.
Hearing officer Peter Loomis repeatedly stressed to Stephen Lewis, the lead attorney representing North Castle, and Paradigm lawyer Robert Christmas that the hearing’s scope would focus on need and overconcentration. Loomis had to repeatedly rule on frequent objections and sparred with Lewis about raising irrelevant issues.
During opening and closing arguments, Lewis stressed that if Paradigm moved into Cole Drive, it would “substantially and significantly” change the character of the community. Paradigm could have sought a zoning change, but sought to “bypass” the town, he said.
Lewis added that Paradigm was trying to twist the state’s Padavan Law, created in 1978 to help the developmentally disabled and those suffering from mental health issues live in long-term residential settings.
“This is a transient luxury hotel, they come for 30 to 45 days and they rotate out,” Lewis said of Paradigm’s model.
Paradigm charges nearly $50,000 a month for its services, and accepts insurance.
Christmas denied that its presence in the community would cause disruption. The 12,000-square-foot house is set far back from the end of the cul-de-sac behind a gate and there would be no change in the house’s appearance.
Letters of support from mental health professionals across the county also urged Paradigm to open in Westchester, he said.
“Clearly, there is a need in the county for this facility,” Christmas said. “We’re not creating this need, the families are. That is clear.”
Loomis said he must submit his recommendation to the OMH commissioner’s office within 30 days. He said he was uncertain when the commissioner would make a ruling.
Martin has more than 30 years experience covering local news in Westchester and Putnam counties, including a frequent focus on zoning and planning issues. He has been editor-in-chief of The Examiner since its inception in 2007. Read more from Martin’s editor-author bio here. Read Martin’s archived work here: https://www.theexaminernews.com/author/martin-wilbur2007/