St. Joe’s unsure but hopeful
about veteran facility funds
By Peter Crowley, Adirondack Daily Enterprise Staff Writer
Printed: Adirondack Daily Enterprise November 21, 2008
SARANAC LAKE - With
cuts expected from Albany, officials at St. Joseph's Rehabilitation
Center aren't sure whether the state's 2009 budget will include
funds for their new facility, which would be for veterans
of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars who suffer from addiction
and post-traumatic stress disorder.
St. Joseph's officials hope to start construction sometime
in 2009 on the 26-bed facility that would primarily be
for housing and treating soldiers with dual diagnoses of PTSD and addiction.
"We hope and expect that, given the importance of
the program to returning veterans, that once the state
budget is determined we will be able to proceed with the
veterans' residence at some point in the coming year," St.
Joseph's said in a prepared statement.
Earlier this year, the state Office of Alcohol and Substance
Abuse Services awarded St. Joseph's a capital budget of
between $2 million and $3 million to build the facility
and an annual operating budget of $1.5 million. It will
be up to Gov. David Paterson and Legislature to make those
funds available, however.
Contact Peter Crowley at 891-2600 ext. 22 or
pcrowley@adirondackdailyenterprise.com.
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