Lawmakers look for ways to keep Cottonwood afloat

In 2004, local legislators rallied with the community to keep Cottonwood Residential Treatment Center open after the governor threatened to close it for the sake of a balanced budget.

Ten years later, they're doing the same thing.

Democratic Gov. Jay Nixon announced last week his decision to cut more than $1 billion from the state's budget, citing concern the Republican-led Legislature will override his vetoes of 10 tax-cutting bills in the fall and throw the state's budget into economic disarray. Nearly $500,000 of Cottonwood's budget was restricted as part of the across-the-board vetoes and freezes on funding.

When then-governor Bob Holden, also a Democrat, announced a decade ago the facility would close, he, too, cited budget concerns. At the behest of local supporters, lawmakers at the time managed to work out a plan to save the facility by leveraging federal money to cover a portion of its operational costs.

Two Cape Girardeau Republicans are hopeful they can help the children's mental-health facility again meet a similarly positive fate. State Rep. Kathy Swan and State Sen. Wayne Wallingford are working on a plan to bring before the Missouri Department of Mental Health and the state government soon.

They have limited time. State mental-health department officials have said Cottonwood is scheduled to close by the beginning of next year.

Swan said losing one of only two remaining state mental-health facilities for children would be a great loss for the area, as well as the rest of Missouri. If Cottonwood, a 32-bed treatment center that employs 95 full- and part-time employees, were to close, it would have a ripple effect. Hawthorn Children's Psychiatric Hospital in St. Louis -- the other state-owned facility -- and other private facilities would feel the strain as they absorbed more patients. Businesses and professionals that work closely with Cottonwood would also feel its absence.

"They may not be an employee of Cottonwood itself, but they may be other professionals in the area that provide services through the relationship with Cottonwood. So this affects quite a number of people," Swan said. "We are alarmed as to what's going on and why is it occurring, and, therefore, we've decided to take charge to meet and discuss among ourselves to try to come up with some options to offer the state as how we see we can leave the facility open and provide, perhaps, even some additional services."

Swan said ideas have been pitched to the Missouri Department of Mental Health about ways to cut expenses but keep the facility open, or to add other programs and services that might be more valuable to the state and to the community. While researching options that might help save Cottonwood, she said one lingering question came to mind.

"Hawthorn is not on the list for withholds or closure. Could some of the cuts come from Hawthorn and some from Cottonwood and keep both facilities open to continue providing services and keep them intact?" she said. "Why we are being required to bear the brunt is uncertain, but I'll certainly ask the question: Could consideration be given to address some of the shortfalls in the state budget but yet not close either facility?"

Swan has not yet received any feedback from the state about the proposals, but hopes to hear from them soon. Communication from the state has consistently suggested the need for improved mental-health opportunities, but closing Cottonwood goes against that message, she said.

Swan and Wallingford plan to continue working with local advocates to stress the importance of the residential treatment center. Cottonwood serves children between the ages of 6 and 17 with serious psychiatric disorders and focuses on education and life skills that prepare children to safely re-enter classrooms and communities.

srinehart@semissourian.com

388-3641

Pertinent address:

1025 N. Sprigg St., Cape Girardeau, Mo.