NORWICH – With increasing obscurity over the role of the Valley Ridge Center for Intensive Treatment (CIT) in Norwich, county lawmakers sought answers from one of CIT’s higher authorities during their monthly meeting at the County Office Building on Monday.

Mark Lankes, region two director for the Office of People with Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD), took the podium in front of the county Board of Supervisors on Monday to lay out the mission of CIT and attempt to clarify the facility’s function for working with people with mental disabilities. Valley Ridge CIT is one of two secure centers for intensive treatment in New York State, serving approximately 45 people with developmental and intellectual disabilities, cerebral palsy, traumatic brain injury, epilepsy, autism spectrum disorders, and other related neurological disorders.

Community-wide concerns over Valley Ridge CIT have become more widespread in recent months as more local residents became aware that CIT consumers are permitted – and encouraged by the OPWDD – to attend community functions. Because CIT falls under the auspices of the OPWDD, it must adhere to state and federal requirements to allow community visits for CIT consumers, said Lankes.

Visits include attending restaurants, churches, stores, volunteering, jobs, and community events – all without public notification.

“These community visits are essential for people to learn and to demonstrate appropriate responsible behaviors in the communities under controlled conditions and levels of supervision,” Lankes said. “We have a highly trained staff that implement these plans.”

Lankes said that community visits are planned by a local committee of professionals who determine the appropriate levels of supervision and location of each visit based on an individual’s mental health needs. After being approved by a local committee, risk management plans are then referred to a similar state-level committee prior to a visit, he said.

But despite CIT’s efforts to ensure appropriate levels of supervision, the issue of community visits still has local residents rightfully concerned, according to District Attorney Joseph McBride. McBride, who was in attendance at Monday’s meeting, questioned the involvement of CIT consumers in the community, calling it an “issue of safety” for area residents.

“The question we’re trying to balance is the rights of the clients verses the people in the community. My job is to make sure everyone in the community is safe,” said Mcbride. “That is the real issue here. People want to make sure they are safe.”