“So all of you have a secret meeting or I don't even know what happened, without community input, decide to make this decision to close this nursing home and hide — hide behind a gag order. You cowards, you cowards,” said Josie Omar, member of the Senior Legislative Action Committee of Sullivan County, speaking at the county legislature meeting on Thursday.
The county and the New York State Department of Health announced this week that the Senior Care Center at Sunset Lake in Liberty, the only county-owned nursing home, will likely close by the end of the year.
The legislators said they were not allowed to speak about the news before this week due to a gag order by the New York State Department of Health.
“Why did you hide behind a gag order?” Omar asked. “Because you wanted to keep the employees of the nursing home functioning, the workers there, the seniors there, the families out of the know. You hide behind a gag order. This is unforgivable. I don't know how you people sleep at night. We are more than RFPs and contracts in this community. We are living human beings.”
Legislators narrowly voted 5 to 4 during an executive session in March to approve the closure of the facility. Then, they say, the gag order went into effect.
However, on Thursday, Legislator Cat Scott, who voted against the measure, began to describe the March executive session to the public.
“It happened so quickly that some of us were in shock. And it was a five to four. And one of the things I repeatedly said, and I asked the county manager, do we have to make this decision today?” Scott began.
Legislator Terry Blosser-Bernardo interrupted her, “It can't be five-four, I was not there that day.”
“Well then the vote failed. I hate to tell you that. Because Mr. Alvarez was a no. Mr. McPhillips from District 1 was a no. Mr. McPhillips from District 3 was a no. And Cat Scott from District 5 was a no,” Scott replied.
Legislator Luis Alvarez said Thursday that he does not remember how he voted. Nevertheless, Legislature Chair Nadia Rajsz said she was sure the vote had passed.
“No, we had enough people," Rajsz said. "That person just didn’t remember.”
Beyond how lawmakers voted in March and when they were or were not able to speak publicly about the closure, the biggest concern Thursday was where the facility's 93 residents will go.
Jay Azzato said his brother, Mark Azzato, is bedridden and nonverbal following a stroke. Mark spent over a year at a facility in Westchester County waiting for a space at Sunset Lake so he could be closer to Jay.
Jay Azzato said the distance was challenging. And with the looming closure, he doesn't think it will be easy to find another place nearby for his brother who requires intense care.
“There's no way that I'm gonna be able to come and see him as often and give him the family care and love that I'm giving now," Azzato said. "Not only that for my brother — for the other 92 people, if the doors are closed.”
Omar agreed with Azzato that the surrounding nursing homes are all full. She said her father also had to go to Westchester because there was a point when Sullivan County had no space for him.
“There's no room in the local nursing homes. You have Roscoe, that's Delaware County. You have Achieve in Liberty. St. Joseph's in Port Jervis always has a waiting list,” Omar said. “Where are these people gonna go? And I know firsthand the toll it takes on the family: traveling, you're working, you're taking care of your own kids and your parents are in a nursing home. That's a tremendous strain.”
The county said it “will ensure that no resident will be left without a skilled-care option” and will also help the 86 employees find work.
Legislature Chair Rajsz said on Wednesday that they did not want to close the care center. But, she said “challenging finances” and troubles with their consulting firm “left us no choice but to initiate the closure process.”
The firm Infinite Care began to manage operations at Sunset Lake in 2021. They reached a 30-year lease agreement with the county, rather than buying the facility entirely, which was considered.
But Infinite Care announced this summer it was ending that role, following delays in the required approvals from DOH. It also comes after the facility's Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services rating dropped to one star. That was from four stars before Infinite Care took over.
Infinite Care and the New York State Department of Health did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Legislator Alvarez, whose district includes Liberty and the Sunset Lake property, said his late wife went to the care center after she had an aneurysm. He said he spent late nights there with her and got to know the workers. When the news broke this week, he said the workers were more worried about the residents.
“I saw the nurses, they were more concerned [with]: Are these people going to the right place? Do they know how they are? Do they understand them? You're in that stage where you recognize the voice of that nurse, you recognize the person, you know this is the person who's gonna be there for you. And you feel more comfortable when somebody taking care of you is somebody that knows who you are,” Alvarez said.
