Following the announcement that a senior care center in Sullivan County
will close by the end of the year, residents are sharing their frustrations with county officials.
Sullivan County and the New York State Department of Health announced on Wednesday the pending closure of the Senior Care Center at Sunset Lake — likely by the end of the year.
Locals at Thursday's county legislature meeting voiced their anger about the suddenness of the news. They also said they are concerned about where the center's 93 long-term residents will go.
Jay Azzato said his brother is bedridden and nonverbal following a stroke. He spent over a year at a facility in Westchester County before he got a space at Sunset Lake, but the distance was challenging. With the looming closure, Azzato doesn't think it will be easy to find another place for his brother who requires intense care.
“I know the county doesn't have a place for him. Never mind the other 92 that are gonna be there. There's no beds. Period," Azzato said. "No beds, whether it's Achieve, whether it's Rockland, or whether it's they're telling me, there's a place in Goshen. So now you want me to go 45 minutes into Goshen.”
He said the distance will create its own challenges.
"There's no way that I'm gonna be able to come and see him as much as often and give him the family caring and love that would that that I'm giving now," Azzato said. "And not only that for my brother — for the other 92 people, if the doors are closed.”
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.
