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Legislature authorizes withdrawal and stabilization contract as Cayuga Health readies crisis center
Summary
Tompkins County approved a contract with a local provider to run withdrawal and stabilization services and discussed parallel plans by Cayuga Health Systems to open an intensive crisis stabilization center under dual licensure, tying ARPA funds and state grants into service operations.
The Tompkins County Legislature on Oct. 1 authorized a contract to provide withdrawal and stabilization services out of the former Alcohol and Drug Council facility, naming Kiva Health Partners as the selected provider and clearing the way for the program to begin operations locally. The vote on the resolution was unanimous.
County and hospital leaders told legislators the contract is part of a broader behavioral‑health effort that includes an intensive crisis stabilization (ICS) facility Cayuga Health Systems is pursuing. Dot Donnelly, chief of staff at Cayuga Health Systems, said the ICS and the withdrawal/stabilization program are being planned to operate in the same building under dual licensure so both mental‑health crisis stabilization and addiction detox/stabilization can be delivered on site. "The intensive crisis stabilization center, we will have open by December '26," Donnelly said, adding that the withdrawal and stabilization program will move as soon as the RFP award is finalized. She and other presenters described multiple funding streams: a state RFP (about $600,000 proposed) for withdrawal/stabilization operations and a separate $1.5 million community recovery fund award to support the crisis stabilization center.
Legislators pressed staff on timelines, billing and staffing. Officials described a billing model that may include per‑night payments from state programs and insurance and emphasized licensure and prior‑authorization steps that must be completed before full operation. Chair and legislators framed the measure as a significant step to expand local capacity for addiction and mental‑health crises while noting that parts of the project remain contingent on state approvals and firm RFP awards.
