On The Southern Tier Special

Thursday, May 16^th at 8 p.m.
(Repeats Sunday, May 19th at 1 p.m.)

There was a time when most mental illness was considered untreatable and mentally ill persons essentially incorrigible. The history of treatment of the mentally ill is replete with incidents that we look upon today with horror and disgust. Knowledge and humanity seemed to always come slowly, and there is still stigma and misunderstanding.

As early as 1858, however, the first institution to deal with alcoholism and its effects as a medical condition was established – in Binghamton, New York. The New York State Inebriate Asylum became the Asylum for the Chronic Insane and eventually the Binghamton Psychiatric Center . Many of its historic buildings  still stand at the top of Robinson Street.

But since the 1960s the number of patients in mental hospitals in New York and elsewhere has declined. This is due partially to more effective medication and treatment, and partly to legal action which established the right of the mentally ill to not be held in confinement against their will. One immediate effect of this change in policy was the presence of poorly functioning individuals living on city streets or in shelters for the homeless. In New York State the Community Reinvestment Act of 1993  created a conduit to apply money saved from the closure of large mental hospitals into smaller community facilities such as group homes. The act expired last year and advocacy groups such as the state chapter of the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill  are urging wider funding of mental health services.

Persons who suffer from mental illness – often complicated by alcoholism or other substance abuse – may find themselves in crisis at any time, and frequently during the hours when regular services are not available. To fill this gap, The Beacon Drop-In Center opened its doors at 164 Court Street in December, 2001.

The Beacon is open only on weekends (4-11 PM Fridays, 11-11 Saturdays, Noon-11 PM Sundays – the phone number is 607/771-1674). It is operated on behalf of the Broome County Department of Mental Health by the Recipient Affairs Office (RAO). This is a peer-run service; that is, all the staff and counselors are themselves recovering mental patients and substance abusers whose personal empathy is enhanced by professional training. As The Beacon’s coordinator Gary Pruitt explains on The Southern Tier Special, "Having just gone through something ourselves here we know pretty much what a person is just by talking to him."

In those instances where psychiatric or other intervention is required, The Beacon staff is prepared to accompany a client to receive medical help. Homeless persons can be referred to places of residence. There is also a Double Trouble in Recovery program, grappling with problems of mental patients who are also substance abusers. But many of the people who drop in are simply in need of stabilizing support and understanding, or want take part in one of the group therapy sessions scheduled throughout the day. Without such a facility, in the words of one anonymous visitor heard in the WSKG-TV report, "I probably would be isolated at home and just hanging out." The Beacon is one of only two such weekend drop-in centers in New York State (the other is in Peekskill).

The Southern Tier Special will visit The Beacon, observe a simulated check-in procedure, and hear from staff and clients. The program then brings together the Broome County Mental Health Commissioner Arthur Johnson, RAO Executive Director C. Anthony Palmatier,  and Joseph Barham, president of the Binghamton-based American Disability Defense Union.  Mr. Barham’s organization champions the rights of all disabled people, especially those recovering from mental illness, who may encounter worse impediments than the physically handicapped in jobs and housing.

Both Mr. Barham and Mr. Palmatier speak frankly and movingly about their own struggles with mental illness, and their determination to help others cope with both their disability and with a lack of public understanding.

*(There will be an open house at The Beacon on May 16th from 1-5 PM).

Please note that as a service to guests of The Southern Tier Special, WSKG links to their sites each week.  However, WSKG is not responsible for the contents of sites linked to from this page.

Previous Program Links: 

• An Illustrated History of Illustrated History

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