Transitional Living to help staff Lewis clinic until takeover

LOWVILLE — Lewis County legislators on Tuesday morning passed a resolution to help keep the mental health clinic staffed during its transition to a private entity.

Legislators at a special meeting voted 8-0 to allow Transitional Living Services of Northern New York, Watertown, to provide per diem workers to help staff the South State Street clinic as county workers leave.

Legislators Michael A. Tabolt, R-Croghan, and Philip C. Hathway, R-Harrisville, were absent for the vote, although Mr. Hathway arrived later in the session.

The agreement is to run through Sept. 30.

“It should help the transition,” said Legislator Charles R. Fanning, R-Copenhagen, chairman of the legislative Mental Health Committee.

County leaders in January approved the transfer of most mental health programs and the outpatient clinic to the Watertown non-profit agency.

Since then, some employees have left the agency or moved on to other county positions, including Brenda J. Bourgeois, who was appointed as the county’s Office for the Aging director after serving as assistant to the director of community services and mental health program assistant since June 2004.

Officials from the county and Transitional Living met last Thursday with representatives from the state Office of Mental Health Services regarding the privatization effort, County Manager David H. Pendergast said.

“I was very encouraged by the meeting,” Mr. Pendergast said.

He reported that the tentative timeline, which has Transitional Living taking over non-clinic programs April 2 and the clinic June 1, still appears feasible.

Even with privatization of mental health services, counties are required to maintain a local government unit, including a director of community services, to oversee those services.

Mr. Pendergast said he recently got a phone call from Anthony J. Picente Jr., Oneida County executive, concerning the possibility of sharing a director of community services.

“This is a trend across the state,” he said, noting he has heard that eight other counties are doing it.

A meeting of officials from the two counties has been set for Friday to discuss the idea, Mr. Pendergast said.

Sarah J. Bullock in January was appointed as interim Lewis County director at an annual salary of $70,000. Jennifer L. Earl, who had been the county’s director of community services since April 2010, stepped down from that post to become director of the Community Clinic of Jefferson County.

Legislators on Tuesday also voted 8-0 to amend the county’s self-insurance plan, effective April 1, to establish a $25 co-pay for durable medical equipment and to provide coverage for a “domestic partner” in the same manner as a spouse, in accordance with criteria as may be established by the plan administrator in consultation with the county attorney.