ALBANY – Assemblywoman Paula Kay (D, Rock Hill) is touting a $10 million state budget item that will help establish what officials say will be New York’s first trauma-informed residential treatment center and middle school for girls facing significant mental health challenges, and itr will be located in Sullivan County.
The funding, included in the fiscal year 2027 state budget, will support the development of EverGreen Meadow Academy in the Town of Thompson. The facility, operated by EverGreen Meadow Services, will serve girls in grades 6-8 from across the state.
Kay said the project addresses what she described as a growing mental health crisis among young girls, citing rising rates of self-harm, psychiatric hospitalization, and other acute mental health emergencies statewide.
“This investment is a commitment to curbing the ever-growing mental health epidemic that we find ourselves in today,” Kay said in a statement. “Their programming offered through a variety of schools in Sullivan County is already having an indelible impact on students, and this new RTC and middle school will make even larger differences for young girls and their families all over the state.”
According to EverGreen Meadow Services, the academy will provide trauma-informed, developmentally appropriate, and culturally responsive care in a residential setting designed specifically for middle school-aged girls.
Kay said she began advocating for the project before taking office and called the funding the culmination of years of work by the organization.
Officials said the new residential treatment center will help fill a gap in New York’s mental health care system for girls who often cycle through emergency departments, inpatient psychiatric units, and out-of-state placements because of limited specialized residential options.
“This transformational funding will turn that vision into a reality for New York state girls and their families,” said Stacey Millman, president of EverGreen Meadow Services. “We are deeply grateful to Assemblywoman Paula Kay, whose steadfast leadership and advocacy helped champion this project.”