The Office of Health Care Access formally approved the state Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services’ application for a certificate of need this week, meaning that the department now has the green light to close Cedar Ridge in Newington, the psychiatric division of Cedarcrest Hospital.
The department expects to close Cedar Ridge by July 1 and move patients to other state facilities and into the community. Workers will be given other department jobs.
The process of closing Cedar Ridge has led to disagreement between Democratic lawmakers and Gov. M. Jodi Rell. Rell has pushed for the facility’s closure in budget requests, while Democrats included money in the budget to keep Cedar Ridge open.
Regardless of the legislature’s intent to keep Cedarcrest open, the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services moved forward with its plans by asking for a certificate of need, or the necessary permission to close the facility. It is an administrative action that helps the state agency operate following the state’s retirement incentive program, says the Office of Policy and Management.
According to a recent memo from the department’s commissioner, the closure of Cedar Ridge will happen in stages and the department will try to minimize the impact on clients, their families and workers.