SULLIVAN COUNTY, NY — Members of the public as well as elected officials have reacted to the news of the closure in several ways, from shock to anger to disappointment.
County Communications Director Dan Hust said that despite this wide array of reactions, everyone can agree that this is unfortunate news.
“There’s a feeling that this is just a sad day in the county, and I don’t think that anyone disagrees with that, whether they feel it’s a necessary move by the county or not,” Hust said.
Below are the collected reactions from the ACC, lawmakers and members of the public.
Editor's Note: Reporting contributed by Patrick Kelly and Liam Mayo. Josh Riley's comments by WJFF Radio Catskill's Kimberly Izar.
The Adult Care Center
The Adult Care Center posted on their facebook page on Friday, August 21, saying that “even as our doors prepare to close, our hearts will always remain open.”
In a post highlighting the Alzheimer's units garden, which grew fresh vegetables that were donated to the Federation of the Homeless in Monticello, they emphasized the good work that happened at the facility.
“No matter what is in the news today, behind these walls are residents, families and staff who have always cared deeply about our community” the post read. “This chapter does not erase the compassion, kindness and good we have shared along the way. We are proud to give back and even prouder of the people who made this possible.”
Rep. Josh Riley
In an interview with WJFF’s Kimberly Izar, Congressman Josh Riley (D-19) spoke on the ACC’s closing, saying that his office was assisting with people affected by the closure. Riley also said the closure speaks to a wider problem with health care in America right now.
“It’s obviously devastating news for the community, and my office is in touch with local leaders on the ground to help with next steps,” Riley said. “I think the details of this are really important but it's also important to put this in a broader context of what we see happening across this district and across our rural communities, which is the impact of Washington politicians who have their priorities completely backwards.”
Riley said that in visiting several care facilities, from child care to senior care, that they are facing uphill budget battles due to federal cuts.
“All of this is the consequence of a politics that has its priorities completely backwards. We should be investing in our rural communities. We should be investing in folks across upstate New York making sure people have a safe, affordable, reliable place for their kids’ care, their parents’ care and everything in between,” Riley said. “Instead, what we’ve seen from Washington politicians, who control the house, control the Senate, control the White House right now, are cuts that lead to these really really difficult budgetary situations.”
Assemblywoman Paula Elaine Kay
Assemblywoman Paula Elaine Kay (D-100) released the following statement after the county announced the closure of the ACC:
“When I received the call from NYSDOH that Sullivan County would be closing the Adult Care Center I was shocked, but not truly surprised.”
“Because I remain concerned about the existing residents and their families, my focus is to ease this difficult transition for them by coordinating directly with NYSDOH whenever possible. I welcome the families to reach out to my Monticello office at 845/ 794-5807 in order to bridge this coverage gap, and to help their loved ones find safe and appropriate care, that is not too far from their families.”
“Moving forward, I urge the County to engage with me as we look for a solution for the growing aging population of Sullivan County.
“Everyone matters here.”
Chair of the Sullivan County Legislature Nadia Rajsz
Chair of the Sullivan County Legislature Nadia Rajsz reacted to the closure and explained the decision making behind it in a press release put out by the county.
“This is not something the County wanted to do, but our challenging finances and the lack of ability to transfer operations to our consulting firm has left us no choice but to initiate the closure process,” Rajsz said in the release. “The majority of my colleagues and I agreed that taxpayers cannot afford to continue the costly operation of the Care Center while facing enormous revenue losses and quickly increasing costs throughout County government.”
In that release, she also thanked the employees for their hard work, and sympathized with the residents and their families.
“The entire Legislature is very proud of the dedicated care County employees have provided over many years to many people,” Rajsz said. “To our residents and their families, we regret the challenges this may create, but we are committed to ensuring everyone has alternate skilled-care options from which to choose. Our staff will make this process as safe, smooth and clear as possible.”
Vice-Chair of the Sullivan County Legislature Luis Alvarez
In an interview with the River Reporter Alvarez said he “wasn’t happy” the ACC closed.
“It’s not what I wanted. It’s not what I always fought for. I want to keep the Adult [Care] Center open.”
Sullivan County Legislator Catherine Scott
In an interview with the River Reporter, Sullivan County Legislator Catherine Scott said that she was “Devastated” over the ACC’s closure. “I see it as a valuable service to the community, but I also recognize that we have a lot of financial issues. We're in a very tough position.
“However, I think that's why we owed it to the public to be very mindful of how we came to that decision. We could have taken more time. We should have taken more time. So part of my anger and disappointment is in how it all went down,” Scott said.
Scott also said that the legislature “could have taken more time and came to the same decision, and people would have been upset about that, but we would have been able to stand by that. I think what we saw today is that it was a little hard for some folks to stand by what happened because of the manner in which it happened.”
Rob Doherty
As a former chair of the Sullivan County Legislature, Doherty presided over the county's initial attempt to sell the Adult Care Center facility in 2020, which culminated in the consulting agreement with Infinite Care. Doherty told the River Reporter that the story of the ACC would always end this way, if the county couldn't sell it.
"Even in the best of times, the county could not withstand the costs of the care center," said Doherty.
Doherty said that the legislature considered all of its options for the care center during his term. "Closure was an option, and I vehemently said, 'No, we are not doing it; that is not an option,'" he said. The legislature's pursuit of a sale or a consulting agreement happened in an effort to avoid an ultimate closure.
"There is a need for it," he said. "We don't need to run it, but someone needs to run the 140 beds that they have. If they close down, there's not enough beds in the county."
Doherty also panned the process by which the current legislature had voted to close the care center, and the lack of transparency involved therein. The conversations during his time at the head of the legislature may have been messy, he said—however, they happened out in the open.
Lise Kennedy
Neversink resident and former Director of Patient Services at Sullivan County Public Health Lise Kennedy said during public comment that she felt betrayed by the news and by the process the legislature closed the facility.
“I was shocked, sad, and felt a deep sense of betrayal yesterday about how the legislature appears to have voted…behind closed doors during an executive session at the special meeting in March,” Kennedy said.
Kennedy said in an interview with the River Reporter that the ACC’s closure was not inevitable, and that it was a “terrible thing to do.” Kennedy saw no reason why the facility, which had faced difficulties in previous years, could not be restored.
“I think it’s a very very wrong decision,” Kennedy said. “I think it’s a bad mistake…there’s really no reason that we wouldn’t be able to restore the ACC to what it was just six years ago. It was a nice place before.”
Ken Walters
Ken Walters, an outspoken governmental accountability advocate, said that the announcement reminded him of the long and storied history of the facility.
“Yesterday morning, as I was starting to get ready for my day, my wife told me that the Sullivan County Adult Care Center is being shut down, according to Facebook. This news brought back a series of events that need to be discussed,” Walters said.
Walters recounted the county’s history in trying to close the facility, saying that the county originally tried to sell off the facility, but faced public backlash. The county then softened its stance, which led to consulting firm Infinite Care coming in and operating the facility for the county. Infinite Care pulled out of the facility in late July, which was one of the factors leading to the ACC’s closure.
“Now, six years and one and a half months later, we wake up to the news of the closure announcement of the department by the Department of Health.”
The county legislature imposed a three minute time limit for public comment. Walters exceeded that time, and was told to stop talking.
“You don’t like what I have to say, do you?” Walters said as he walked back to his seat. “Chicken.”
[Edited to correct a misspelling.]
Mark McCarthy
Former Town of Neversink Supervisor and former county legislator Mark McCarthy said that he was upset to hear the facility was closing, and that the facility was a public good supported by taxpayers.
“I'm as upset as anybody that they're going to close this place. I was a town supervisor. My mom was there, and my mother was not easy,” McCarthy said. “For 60 years, 70 years, the taxpayers of this county have paid for that facility to be there in case their parents, grandparents, somebody needed it, my family needed it.”
McCarthy said that the county could continue to support the ACC and just pass it off to the taxpayers, saying he would pay more taxes if it meant the ACC staying open.
“If it's going to take $10 million, I'll be the first guy in line to pay the extra taxes,” he said. “Don't close it.”
“One thing I've learned, if you're not part of the solution, then you're damn well part of the problem,” McCarthy said. “So choose your side.”
Star Hesse
Star Hesse, a Narrowsburg resident and member of the Senior Legislative Action Committee spoke during the public comment period.
“I was particularly disturbed by the announcement yesterday that the Adult Care Center was going to be basically dumped and gotten rid of,” Hesse said.
Hesse also said the legislature had an obligation to the electorate and to taxpayers to spend county funds wisely. Hesse feels that the ACC was a wise use of money, while the airport was not.
“I don't understand how people can claim to be supportive of their duty to take care of the people who elected them, and also their fiduciary responsibility to the taxpayers of Sullivan County, and turn around and just say, ‘Well, we can't afford this, so we'll spend on airports. We'll spend on other things…and then just well, now we've got to get rid of it.”’
Lou Setren
Callicoon resident Lou Setren said during the public comment period that he remembers when his mother was in the facility it was highly rated. He credits this to the staff and the management of the facility.
“That doesn't just happen. A facility improves and becomes a five-star rated facility because of competent staff who are committed to the work that they do, which you still have,” Setren said. “But it is also the result of having competent and committed leadership and management, which the prior legislature and members of this legislature have squandered in conjunction with the county manager.”
He said that money should not be a consideration when operating the ACC, as its motive is not to generate profit and instead it is a service that the county provides to its residents. Setren said that he would be willing to pay more in taxes if it meant keeping the facility open.
“This facility is not designed to break even. It's not designed to turn a profit. It is in fact a service that is provided to the residents of this county and government is in the business of providing services to its residents, and you shoulder the cost of that service by revenues that you take in, including taxes,” Setren said. “And I, like Mr. McCarthy…will be first in line to pay more in taxes to ensure that future residents of this county and their families who have a need for the service that this facility has provided will be able to have this facility to utilize the services it provides. "
Setren also raised issues with the manner in which the ACC was closed, saying that the county “robbed the stakeholders of this county the opportunity to let their voices be heard.” Setren urged the county to give further thought to the ACC and county priorities, and urged them to reopen the facility.
“We need to represent, reassess our priorities. We have responsibilities to maintain infrastructure, clear roads, provide parks and recreation without necessarily expanding them. The adult care center is about caring for people, not managing finances. It supports local families and contributes to the local economy,” Setren said. “I urge the legislature to reconsider their decision.”
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