To the Editor:

We are the clinical team at Corner House Behavioral Health who serve the greater Princeton community by helping those struggling with substance abuse and co-occurring mental health issues.

Between January and March of 2023, our executive director and office coordinator resigned. Unfortunately, these two key positions have still not been posted or filled, nor have we been told if or when they will be, leaving us wondering about the fate of our agency.

As the ones on the frontlines of the work here, we understand just how vital and cost-effective our multi-partner model is for the greater Princeton community. On July 5 we wrote a letter to the Corner House Board, Corner House Foundation, Princeton Council, the mayor, the administrator of Princeton Municipality, and the health officer of the Princeton Health Department, to ensure our voices are a part of any upcoming decisions. In this letter, we explained the value of this agency and asked to be a part of any conversations moving forward. Without our voices, those making the decisions do not know about the small miracles that occur behind our closed doors every day with our clients.

We the clinical team — Claudia Brzoza, LSW; Stephanie Neira, LAC; Laura Peoples, PhD, LCSW, LCADC; Cathy Reilly, LSW; Lynn Shell, PhD, APN; and Peter Smith, LSW, LCADC — can’t help but think about Nancy Gryzbek and Dr. Shirley Van Ferney, the founders of Corner House, and the other community members who started this organization over 50 years ago. They were visionaries who saw a need in the post-Vietnam war era, when drug and alcohol use must have seemed out of control. Little did they know what lay ahead: the opioid epidemic of the 90s, increased suicide rates among youth, and a global pandemic that only exacerbated an already increasing mental health and substance abuse crisis. Fortunately, for all of us in the greater Princeton community, Corner House was here all along, quietly helping people recover and heal with dignity.

As of yet, we have not been invited to participate in any conversations. We have firsthand information about how Corner House benefits the community. We also have ideas about how to improve Corner House services. We believe that conversations about the future of Corner House would be more informed, and more beneficial to the community, if we were a part of the dialogue.

Clinical Team Of Corner House Behavioral Health
Monument Drive