Improvements still needed for Sullivan adult care center

By LIAM MAYO
Posted 6/16/25

SULLIVAN COUNTY, NY — In May, the Sunset Lake Local Development Corporation (LDC) voted to dissolve, returning ownership of the Sunset Lake Adult Care Center (ACC) back to the Sullivan County …

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Improvements still needed for Sullivan adult care center

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SULLIVAN COUNTY, NY — In May, the Sunset Lake Local Development Corporation (LDC) voted to dissolve, returning ownership of the Sunset Lake Adult Care Center (ACC) back to the Sullivan County government. The move, long called for by advocates of the ACC, makes its sale less likely. 

Though the specter of the sale has diminished, that does not mean the issues with the ACC have been resolved. Advocates continue to call for improvements to the quality of care and the governing structure at the care center. 

A long to-do list

The LDC initially formed when the county explored selling the ACC. The county brought in Infinite Care as a managing consultant with the intent for Infinite Care to purchase the ACC once it became the operator of the facility. The transfer of operations would require Infinite Care to attain the facility’s certificate of need; that process has stalled on the state level, and shows no signs of restarting. 

When Infinite Care came in, county workers at the ACC were told to transfer their employment to the private sector in anticipation of the transfer of operations, public commentator Lise Kennedy reminded the Sullivan County Legislature’s Human Resources Committee on Thursday, June 12. With that possibility looking ever more distant, Kennedy advocated that the county reverse that guidance. 

“Having a stable, permanent staff which is subject to civil service requirements and county oversight is very much in the best interests of the residents’ quality of care and it is also the most prudent and responsible use of taxpayer funds,” she said. 

Speakers during committee meetings later in the day mentioned unresolved issues with maintenance at the ACC. 

A division of public works representative told the public works committee the county had a quote prepared for the rooftop air conditioning units at the ACC, and asked the legislature to move that resolution forward during its executive committee meeting. 

The elevator at the ACC was down for a few weeks and has since been repaired, he said. However, he added, “the elevator vendor stressed the importance of overhauls on there with the parts being hard to come by.”

Legislators discussed the costs of an elevator replacement and the balance between doing it right and doing it cheap. 

Kennedy brought up that the dishwasher at the ACC is currently broken, and said that to her knowledge, the repairs have been delayed for several months because Infinite Care preferred to use its own company for repairs rather than the company retained by the county. 

“The residents of the Adult Care Center have been eating cold meals off Styrofoam and paper for the last three weeks… I think this is kind of ridiculous and someone should report it to the state,” she said.

Sunset Lake Adult Care Center, Sullivan County

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