ROCK HILL, NY — New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and Sen. Charles Schumer announced the opening of The Center for Discovery’s Children’s Specialty Hospital. The facility is dedicated to supporting children and adolescents with complex disabilities—including autism—through specialized short-term inpatient care. 

Developed by The Center for Discovery’s multidisciplinary team over the past decade in close partnership with the NYS Office for People With Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD), the hospital introduces a new care model focused on proactive treatments to reduce long-term residential placements, a spokesperson said.

“New York State is devoted to improving health outcomes for all children, particularly those with developmental disabilities whose families face challenges in accessing suitable medical care for their child’s needs,” Hochul said. “By bolstering this continuum of care through The Center for Discovery’s Children’s Specialty Hospital, families will spend less time apart and remain connected to their communities following treatment.”

The hospital “will provide critical life-enhancing care to children and teens and be a beacon of hope in Sullivan County for generations to come,” Schumer said. “The impacts of the discoveries and systems of care made at this facility will stretch far beyond the Hudson Valley to help thousands of kids across America and the world.”

Funding for the Children’s Specialty Hospital project was made possible through a $48 million low-interest loan from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Office of Rural Development’s Community Facilities Program, that Schumer, a longtime TCFD advocate, helped secure—as well as a $4 million investment from New York State’s Empire State Development. The project also received critical support from the Office for People With Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD), the New York State Department of Health (DOH), and the Dormitory Authority of the State of New York (DASNY).

The hospital is designed for children ages five to 21 who meet OPWDD’s eligibility criteria and require medical care, in addition to supporting their developmental disabilities. It will provide inpatient treatment and conduct comprehensive medical, behavioral and clinical assessments over a maximum of six months.  

Designed with both medical and therapeutic needs in mind, the new facility where the Children’s Specialty Hospital is located includes classrooms, a health clinic, sensory rooms, a therapeutic gym for physical and occupational therapies, a café and a training kitchen. The 15-acre campus also offers outdoor walking trails, healing gardens, and a Food is Medicine® greenhouse, all supporting TCFD’s holistic approach to care.

After completing short-term treatment at the hospital, patients will return home with a specialized care plan that includes training for families, caregivers and school districts. TCFD’s team will continue to support families as they build on the progress made during their child’s stay, the spokesperson said.

Dr. Terry Hamlin, president/CEO of The Center for Discovery, said, “The children admitted to our hospital face extraordinary challenges. They live with co-occurring medical conditions that make their developmental disabilities profoundly complex to treat. Many of these medical issues are accompanied by pain, which often leads to maladaptive behaviors that further impact their quality of life. Families have long needed a place where their children’s complex needs are understood, and where there is integrated and coordinated care in one place. At The Center for Discovery, we are dedicated to addressing these medical complexities head-on, treating the root causes, and improving outcomes in ways that transform lives.”

The initiative not only improves the level of care for children with disabilities but also aims to reduce extended hospital stays, enabling them to return home more swiftly, the spokesperson said.

For more information about TCFD, visit www.tcfd.org/.