TRR photo by David Hulse Mercy Hospital staff, local government and Bon Secours Health System officials are pictured at last Thursday's opening of the hospital "New Directions" facility. (Click for larger image)

By DAVID HULSE

PORT JERVIS - Many programs are available for persons with mental health problems and many other programs are available for people with substance abuse problems.

There are few programs for people suffering from both ailments, so the "New Directions" unit which opened on the refurbished fourth floor at Mercy Community Hospital last week not only was a first for Orange County, but a first for the Hudson and Delaware valleys.

"Traditionally, chemical dependency and psychiatric illness have been treated separately," said Richard Santiago, Regional Director of the Behavioral Health Services, of Mercy's parent corporation Bon Secours Charity Health System.

Not only were they treated separately, but Santiago said professionals in the two disciplines often were at a loss or balked at treating persons with the compounded ailments. "New Directions is designed to let patients work on both simultaneously in a discrete facility," he said.

The new 15-bed unit compliments the hospitals existing 20-bed in-patient mental health unit and an adult inpatient detoxification program.

Carl Miller, Interim CEO of Bon Secours Charity Health Care Systems, said this specialized unit was purposely placed in a fairly remote location, so as to provide additional privacy for incoming patients from other more populous parts of the region.

Miller is aware of and quickly denies rumors of plans to downgrade the hospital which circulated with Bon Secours recent takeover of Mercy. To the contrary, Miller insisted Bon Secours will expand services and facilities. He included plans for a new medical arts building on the hospital campus as well as expanded hospital parking. "We've started and we need to move forward," he said.