Schumer Urges US Army To Reconsider Phasing Out Critical Soldier Wellness Program At River Hospital In Alexandria Bay, Which Treats Many Troops From Fort Drum For Post-Traumantic Stress -- Schumer Says New Program May Not Offer The Full Line Of Mental Health & Therapeutic Services

Press Release

U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer today urged the U.S. Army to reconsider and reverse its decision to phase out River Hospital's Soldiers' Wellness Program, located in Alexandria Bay, NY. Schumer explained that the Army has said it plans to replace this program, which has successfully treated many troops at Fort Drum, with a program that does not offer the full line of therapeutic services that River Hospital offers. Schumer said the River Hospital program is a vital service to the soldiers at Fort Drum that participate in this intensive program to treat sensitive mental health issues like post-traumatic stress and sexual assault, and is also a critical part of the regional economy. According to the hospital, since its inception in 2013, River Hospital's program has graduated over 251 soldiers from its cutting edge behavioral health program. Schumer said this program provides excellent health outcomes for the service members who have given so much to our community and nation, and it merited continuing the vital services they provide.

"The dedicated professionals at River Hospital provide high-quality, effective mental health treatment -- particularly for our dedicated men and woman in uniform who are struggling with difficult issues like post-traumatic stress -- and they deserve to keep doing just what they do. So I am urging the Army to reverse this decision and keep the River Hospital program up and running for the soldiers who need and deserve it," said Senator Schumer.

Schumer explained that, in addition to reducing the high standard of care for these patients, eliminating the River Hospital program could have a major negative impact on the local community. Schumer said River Hospital is a small, rural hospital that has invested a great deal in order to offer such an innovative program for the Army. As a result, it is now able to offer the same high level services to the community, filling a huge treatment gap in the local area. Schumer also pointed out that the hospital has a special synergy with Fort Drum and is also a key economic generator of jobs for the region, and that this proposed change would have negative jobs impacts that could easily be avoided by maintaining a program with a proven track record. Schumer said the Army's decision to phase out this program and replace it with a service that may provide less than the full gambit of treatment options was poorly thought out and would have a negative impacts on the hospital's staffing and financial standing.

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