09/05/2024 | Press release | Archived content
The Office of Mental Health and the Dormitory Authority of the State of New York today announced completion of an $8.5 million addition to Mohawk Valley Psychiatric Center in Oneida County. The 22-month project constructed a new gymnasium and expanded outdoor recreation areas for the facility, which is based the city of Utica and operates satellite locations elsewhere in the region.
"Recreation and exercise play such an important role in the health and well-being of the young people we serve," OMH Commissioner Dr. Ann Sullivan said. "The beautiful expansion and additions to our gymnasium and outdoor recreation space at Mohawk Valley will be well utilized by our youth and we thank DASNY for the wonderful job they did managing the construction process."
For the psychiatric center, DASNY managed the construction of a 10,000-square-foot gymnasium addition, featuring an operable partition, retractable hoops, and a court system with striping for both basketball and volleyball. The gym offers ample space for the youth patient population to run and play, as well as an area for facility staff and the community to use for team-building exercises.
"We are proud to partner with the Office of Mental Health to create an important and essential addition to the services they offer," DASNY President Robert J. Rodriguez said. "The new facility will enhance and supplement the high-quality care and therapeutic programming its clients receive."
Dr. Sullivan toured the new additions with facility staff. Watch the video of her visit.
Opened in 1843 as New York's first state-operated mental health care facility, Mohawk Valley now provides quality, individualized psychiatric treatment and rehabilitation services to promote recovery and resiliency for individuals and their families. The center's multi-disciplinary treatment teams focus on reducing disparities in access, quality, and treatment outcomes for historically marginalized and underserved populations.
The facility in Utica features 37 inpatient beds for youth and children, following a 10-bed expansion that was completed in December 2023. The center also operates 34 adult residential beds, in addition to outpatient community-based services for approximately 1,100 adults in the surrounding communities.
Envision Architects designed the gymnasium and outdoor recreation expansion, while Bunkoff General Contractors served as the lead during construction.
At the close of the fiscal year ending in March 2024, DASNY's construction portfolio included 996 projects valued at approximately $12 billion. In addition to its work for the Office of Mental Health, DASNY completes significant construction work for numerous state agencies, including the Office of Addiction Services and Supports, the Office for People with Developmental Disabilities, the Housing Trust Fund Corporation, and both the State University of New York and the City University of New York.