Background:

The Ohio Department of Mental Health (ODMH) announced on February 18, 2011, its decisions to close the Cleveland Campus of Northcoast Behavioral Healthcare by July 1, 2011, and to not build the new state mental health hospital in Cleveland, citing environmental issues – but instead expand its Northfield campus in Summit County.

The Cleveland Campus is in very bad shape, and that is why the ADAMHS Board advocated to past administrations to build a new hospital in Cleveland. There was an agreement between the City of Cleveland and ODMH to build the new hospital, and nearly $84 million was set aside in the capital budget for construction. The City of Cleveland spent over $4 million to prepare the site.

ODMH also plans to use the remaining capital dollars to update other state hospitals throughout the state, which the ADAMHS Board feels is unwise, since we advocated for the capital dollars and believe that these dollars should remain in Cuyahoga County.

ADAMHS Board of Cuyahoga County Response:

Closing of the Cleveland Campus and not building the new hospital in Cleveland is very bad for consumers of mental health services:

o   Out of the 1,999 average yearly admissions, 1,965 are from the City of Cleveland.

o   Having residents of Cleveland and Cuyahoga County admitted to a hospital in Summit County will place another burden on the consumers’ families by having to arrange for transportation to see their loved ones, as well as for discharge.

o   ODMH’s decision of not having a mental health hospital in the city takes mental health treatment back to the mid-19th century, when the belief was that people with mental illness should be isolated from their families and communities.

o   We know today that interaction and treatment planning with family is important to a person’s mental health recovery.

o   The cost of transporting patients from Cleveland to the Northfield Campus by ambulance or police is also going to be costly.

Closing of the Cleveland Campus and not building the new State Hospital in Cleveland is also bad for Cleveland’s and Cuyahoga County’s economic development:

• The hospital would have employed 300+ people (from Cleveland Campus and Northfield Campus) with good paying jobs that would produce over $1 million in tax revenue.
• With the closing of the Cleveland Campus, Cleveland will actually lose nearly 200 jobs.
• Actual building of the hospital would have created construction jobs for several years.
• Businesses, such as restaurants, drycleaners, stores, etc., were anticipated to develop near the hospital to serve the workers and visiting families.
• Financial hardship and loss of productivity for providers sending staff to work with consumers at the State Hospital.