Recently, OMH and OPWDD released information regarding the closures of Greater Binghamton Health Center (GBHC), Elmira Psychiatric Center and the Broome County Developmental Center. These facilities provide much needed services to residents with psychiatric or developmental disabilities in the Southern Tier region.

The purpose of this hearing will be to examine the potential impact of the closures on service recipients, families, employees and communities. The Committee is seeking testimony on the needs of the communities that will be impacted by facility closures, specifically in terms of resources that should be reinvested into the communities in order to sustain or enhance services in the region and the potential impact of the elimination of these services.

Oral testimony will be by invitation only and limited to 10 minutes' duration. In preparing the order of witnesses, the Committee will attempt to accommodate individual requests to speak at particular times in view of special circumstances. These requests should be made on the attached reply form or communicated to Committee staff as early as possible.

Ten copies of any prepared testimony should be submitted at the hearing registration desk. The Committee would appreciate advance receipt of prepared statements.

In order to further publicize these hearings, please inform interested parties and organizations of the Committees' interest in hearing testimony from all sources.

In order to meet the needs of those who may have a disability, the Assembly, in accordance with its policy of non-discrimination on the basis of disability, as well as the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), has made its facilities and services available to all individuals with disabilities. For individuals with disabilities, accommodations will be provided, upon reasonable request, to afford such individuals access and admission to Assembly facilities and activities.

Aileen Gunther
Member of Assembly
Chair
Assembly Standing Committee on
Mental Health and
Developmental Disabilities

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Persons wishing to present testimony at the public hearing on Closures of state-operated OMH and OPWDD facilities are requested to complete this reply form as soon as possible and mail, email or fax it to: