GLENS FALLS, N.Y. (NEWS10) – Warren County has spent a lot of time deciding where to allocate portions of $12.4 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding, which it received as a salve for businesses and community support organizations impacted by the aftereffects of the COVID-19 pandemic. The county’s ARPA advisory board has made a fresh round of recommendations – one of which would lead to new opportunities for Glens Falls Hospital.

This week, the advisory board recommended $750,000 in ARPA money go to the hospital. It says that those funds should be used in mental health care – but the hospital says that the new funding’s impact would be bigger than any one department.

The money is being outlined by Glens Falls Hospital for the relocation of seven crisis stabilization unit beds, which currently make up the entire Crisis Stabilization Unit. They will be relocated to a brand-new 14-bed unit, which will then be divided into two sections – one with six beds, the other with eight. They will be divided up in order to create separate spaces for children and adults.

“This will provide a larger, safer environment for patients presenting in the emergency department for mental health and/or substance abuse treatment,” said Ray Agnew, Vice President of Community Engagement for the hospital. “It will also decompress the emergency department to allow for better throughput. We have seen a marked increase in volume and needs for crisis patients since the start of the pandemic and this project will address that increase, and make more efficient use of our space for all emergency patients.”

Glens Falls Hospital’s Crisis Stabilization Unit operates to aid those in times of mental health and substance abuse crisis. The expansion will also aid the safety of employees due to a physical restructuring of the space in which the work takes place.

Much to do, many to help

Warren County’s latest recommendations also include:

  • Warren County Emergency Medical Services
    • $250,000 to be split across agencies
  • Warren County Economic Development Corporation
    • $80,000
    • To be used on housing and broadband issues
  • Brant Lake
    • $31,000
    • For use in treating milfoil issues on the lake
  • Tri-County United Way
    • $60,000
  • JLABS Child Care
    • $100,000
  • City of Glens Falls parks
    • $172,500
  • SUNY Plattsburgh Queensbury campus (at SUNY Adirondack)
    • $16,854
    • For purchasing textbooks
  • Warren County Soil & Water Conservation District
    • $14,600
    • For water quality monitoring procedures
  • VFW Post #6196
    • $13,500
    • Repairs to the VFW roof

It’s been a busy season for ARPA funding in Warren County. In November, the county announced another list of recipients, including several local emergency squads and entertainment venues. As of this week’s recommendations, roughly $11.3 million has been allocated out of the county’s $12.4 million total.