State Senator Patty Ritchie recently visited the new six bed Crisis Respite House for children and adolescents at the St. Lawrence Psychiatric Center. The new facility, which is expected to serve roughly 200 young people annually, will provide short-term care in a homelike, therapeutic environment for those ages 10 to 17 across a six county area.

Senator Ritchie has played an instrumental role in helping to maintain mental health services and jobs at the Psychiatric Center.   In recent years, she has continued to work on a plan to transform unused lands at the Psychiatric Center to help reinvigorate the local economy, as well as improve health services for the mentally ill

 (Attn. photo editors: Senator Ritchie is pictured in the attached photo in front of the Child and Adolescent Crisis Respite House with St. Lawrence Psychiatric Center Director Timothy Farrell)