For Cayuga County legislator Dan Schuster, blame for the condition of the mental health clinic under fire by the state Office of Mental Health should be shared by all the key players involved, including David Blair, director of the clinic, and the Cayuga County Community Services Board.

“Everyone that is involved has to share the blame.” Schuster D-Auburn said. “That includes the Legislature and that includes director David Blair and that includes members of the Community Services Board. But what has happened is in the past they have passed the puck around - ‘It's their fault;' ‘It's his fault' - but it's everybody's fault and we have to work together.”

Schuster is the first legislator to publicly admit and point blame in the latest setback for the county.

On Wednesday, the state Office of Mental Health implemented sanctions against the clinic, currently located in the basement of the Historic Post Office at 157 W. Genesee St., Auburn, because of an ongoing lack of progress with the facility, issues with record-keeping and provided services. The state will withhold aid that amounts to about $100,000 until a corrective action plan is put into place.

“This is something that the taxpayers really need to pay attention to because this is serious,” Schuster said. “The state is withholding funds that would pay for the clinic. But now, because of the way it's operated, the taxpayers are the ones who are paying for the services of the clinic, and the services that are being provided are not adequate. The county taxpayers are now footing the bill for operations that are subpar, so this is a concern for everyone.”

A total of 10 citations were issued this week for facility and service violations. Among them is a charge that the facility is in poor condition, maintains a small space that is inadequate for treatment and lacks privacy, a mental health code violation that dates back to 1999.

“From my point of view, a lot of these are a result of a lack of leadership,” Schuster said.

He said that the violations had not been communicated to the county Legislature in the past, and now that the legislators know about them, they will be working in conjunction with the Community Services Board - the governing body that oversees the clinic - to adhere to the mental health code.

The board approved a move to a vacant floor at Auburn Memorial Hospital, an act that could take care of several violations. But that alone wouldn't reinstate the state aid, Schuster said.

“Everyone has to work together to create a plan that address the quality of care citations,” he said. “Developing the plan is one thing and implementing the plan and making sure that plan is followed through is another. I don't know what the state is going to be looking for, but there's a lot of things that we have to do to get there.”

Blair did not return calls seeking comment Friday evening.

Staff writer Alyssa Sunkin can be reached at alyssa.sunkin@lee.net or 253-5311 ext. 239