A New York State-run facility for people with developmental disabilities has gone nearly three years without working air conditioning — leaving vulnerable residents and state workers enduring what a union boss called “oppressive heat” inside the aging Adirondacks institution, a union said.
Sunmount Developmental Center in Tupper Lake, which is operated by the state Office for People With Developmental Disabilities, has been struggling with a failed cooling system even as summer heat pushed local temperatures into the upper 80s and low 90s, with heat index values reaching into the 90s.
“This is not an emergency at this time, but it is a serious, ongoing priority that demands immediate attention,” Public Employees Federation President Wayne Spence wrote Thursday in a letter to state Director of Operations Jackie Bray.
“I personally toured the facility (Wednesday) and experienced the oppressive heat that both staff and residents, who are a vulnerable population, face,” Spence wrote.
The Times Union first reported the letter, which was confirmed to The Post by the union and which was sent during a statewide heat wave that sent temperatures in parts of New York closer to 100 degrees.
In Franklin County, where Sunmount is located, local readings remained below triple digits but still produced dangerous heat conditions for residents housed in a facility without functioning central air.
Sunmount serves adults with developmental disabilities, including autism and other neurodevelopmental disorders. Many residents have complex behavioral, psychiatric and medical needs.
“These are some of New York’s most vulnerable individuals — people with developmental disabilities who depend on the state to provide safe, humane, and dignified living conditions,” Spence wrote.
“It is unacceptable that a critical infrastructure issue affecting the health, comfort, and quality of life of these residents has remained unresolved for so long,” he added.
OPWDD spokeswoman Jennifer O’Sullivan told the Times Union the agency “has been working to fix issues where central air conditioning is failing or is not feasible on the Sunmount campus due to aging infrastructure.”
“Programming in the affected areas has been adjusted to take place in cooler spaces during this heat wave and interim portable units are being installed as we work to resolve this issue,” O’Sullivan said.
Dr. Ilana Slaff-Galatan, a certified psychiatrist who completed an autism fellowship with the American Psychiatric Association, warned that the heat poses special risks for Sunmount residents, including seizures.
She also warned that psychiatric medications can interfere with the body’s ability to regulate heat and respond to dehydration.
The air-conditioning crisis is the latest black eye for Sunmount, which has long been dogged by allegations of abuse, neglect, falsified records, staffing strain and poor oversight.
Public reports over the past decade have detailed repeated criminal cases involving Sunmount employees accused of assaulting residents, covering up incidents or falsifying paperwork.
Spence urged Bray to explain “why this problem has persisted for years, what steps have been taken to address it, and, most importantly, when residents and staff can expect a permanent solution.”
The Post has sought comment from Bray.
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