Orange County mental health department details program closures, client transfers and new supports

Orange County Department of Mental Health officials told the Health and Mental Health Committee on March 19 that several contract-operated treatment programs across Orange, Sullivan and Ulster counties will close this spring and that the department is arranging transfers and ‘‘soft landings’’ for affected clients.

The department said two locations—Monroe and Walden—did not reopen in 2025 because of staffing shortages. Port Jervis is scheduled to cease operations on March 21, and that location had 29 clients who were either completing discharge or being transferred. Newburgh’s program is slated to close in mid-April; staff reported 28 clients there had received referrals and were awaiting first appointments. The provider’s largest site, in Goshen, had 81 clients and officials said it planned to try to wind down that program by May.

Why it matters: County officials said the closures are driven by staffing…