CHENANGO – Chenango County is on the hook for more than $48,000 in inpatient hospitalization and treatment for a Valley Ridge Center for Intensive Treatment (CIT) consumer, despite claims of promises to local officials that county taxpayers would never incur any costs of the state-run CIT facility in Norwich.

The issue was brought before members of the Chenango County Health and Human Services Committee at their December monthly meeting. Chenango Behavioral Health Services Director Ruth Roberts said that her department has been billed $48,699 for intensive treatment received by a CIT consumer while in custody at the Chenango County jail.

Roberts explained that the issue stems from an incident that occurred in December, 2014, in which a CIT consumer was arraigned in Norwich Town Court on charges of assault to a Valley Ridge CIT employee. That consumer was ordered to the Chenango County Correctional Facility.

“Somewhere along that progression, it was determined that he required inpatient hospitalization, so he had to be moved,” said Roberts.

He was relocated to the Sunmount Developmental Center in Franklin County for treatment, per judge’s orders. Like Valley Ridge, the Sunmount facility is operated under the auspices of the New York State Office of People with Developmental Disabilities.

“He remained there for restorative services until the District Attorney was able to bring him back,” said Roberts, also noting that under New York mental hygiene law, the county is responsible for 50 percent of the charges of an individual’s intensive treatment while in Department of Corrections custody (total cost of treatment in this case was $140,332).

“I don’t know if we’re going to get any relief for those charges at the county level,” she added. “I have to admit, I’m not real hopeful that we’re going to be able to avoid them.”