LED BY CONGRESSMAN PAT RYAN, HUDSON VALLEY VETERANS HOLD COMMUNITY SPEAK OUT TO SAVE INPATIENT CARE UNIT AT CASTLE POINT VA
Led by Congressman Pat Ryan, Hudson Valley Veterans Hold Community Speak Out to Save Inpatient Care Unit at Castle Point VA
Following reports earlier this month that veterans could no longer receive acute inpatient care, including medical detoxification and substance abuse care at Castle Point, Congressman Ryan led local veterans and bipartisan colleagues in sounding the alarm to ensure Hudson Valley veterans did not experience a lapse in care
On Friday, Congressman Ryan wrote to Veterans Integrated Services Networks (VISN) 2 Director Joan McInerney, who oversees all administrative and clinical operations for the VAMC, insisting she take urgent action to resume care
BEACON, NY – Today, led by Congressman Pat Ryan, Hudson Valley veterans rallied to save the inpatient care unit at the Castle Point VA. At a Community Speak Out at the Beacon VFW, veterans from across the region shared personal stories about how Trump’s funding and hiring freeze, as well as the recent firing of 1000 VA employees, impacted their ability to receive care. A link to the entirety of the Speak Out is attached here.
“We have a sacred duty to care for the veterans who’ve put their lives on the line for our country. Between the hiring freeze, funding freeze and now firing of 1000 VA employees, the Trump Administration has fundamentally broken that sacred trust,” said Congressman Pat Ryan. “Our Hudson Valley community has always answered the call in the past, and today, we’re speaking out with one united voice. Join us in the fight to ensure each and every veteran gets the care our country promised them.”
“Too often our veterans suffer in silence. They’re the first to offer help, but the last to ask for help for themselves and their families. Our voices today are for everyone who has worn the uniform,” said Tommy Zurhellen, Former Commander, VFW Post 170 and Founder of VetZero, a veteran service program in Poughkeepsie. “But we need everyday citizens as well. This isn’t just a veterans issue, it is a Hudson Valley issue. ‘Thank you for your service’ is great, but right now we need actions, not just words.”
“This is an unpleasant sense of Deja Vu on something that feels like it should be obvious. And I want to be clear, the problem isn’t with our doctors. It’s with the leadership making these terrible decisions,” said Malia DuMont, an Army veteran and Chair of Congressman Ryan's Veterans and Military Families Advisory Board. “This is a fundamental failure and it cannot happen.”
“I’m here on behalf of not just our veterans, but all our first responders. It’s unconscionable to get rid of this unit,” said Ulster County Sheriff Juan Figueroa, a Marine Corps veteran. “For 20 years, we were in Iraq and Afghanistan. We need to give veterans the help they earned and deserve, not kick them to the curb.”
“Once again, we see Veterans living in rural communities subjected to potential cuts and closures at Castle Point. Directly affecting their healthcare and quality of life by reducing access to critical services. These cuts not only impact the Veteran, they impact the Hudson Valley,” said Kevin Keaveny, President of the Hudson Valley Center for Veteran Reintegration. “Where do these Veterans go if potential cuts move forward? Community care? Our region struggles to resource medical and mental health professionals as it is. “Dumping” our Veterans into a healthcare system that is already overburdened is not the answer. Castle Point is not a convenience, it is a necessity for Veterans living in the Hudson Valley. At what point do we say enough is enough?”
“This is absolutely unacceptable. I know how valuable this unit is because I've witnessed firsthand the unbelievable care that the nurses and doctors provide there, and how much they truly care,” said Adam Roche of Dutchess County Veteran Services. “If we allow this step to be taken, they will keep coming back for more. We will not settle when it comes to care for our veterans. This has to stop now.”
“As a Veteran who utilizes Castle Point services, and an advocate for Veterans in Dutchess County who are receiving services, I wholeheartedly disagree with this decision and the secretive nature around it,” said Alyssa Carrion, Veterans Program Director, Veterans Services, MHA Dutchess County. “When a Veteran comes to us at their lowest, they know we will transport and sit with them at Castle Point until admitted to detox before being transferred to care at Montrose or another VA facility. During this time, we visit the Vets and keep them encouraged and focused on recovery. What now? Where do they go that is a Veteran safe space for their care? We have Veteran services to provide the best possible care to those who have served our country, and closing this ward is in no way in line with those values.
On February 4th, following initial reporting that veterans could no longer receive acute inpatient care – including medical detoxification and substance abuse care – at the Castle Point VA, Congressman Ryan rallied with local veterans and advocates to oppose the closure. Congressman Ryan then sent a letter to Veterans Integrated Service Networks (VISN) 2 Director Joan McInerney, who oversees all administrative and clinical activities for the VA medical centers in the region, Congressman Ryan escalating his demand that Castle Point “take all necessary steps to immediately reopen this unit and ensure that no service reductions take effect on a permanent basis.”
Congressman Pat Ryan is a U.S. Army veteran, served two combat tours in Iraq, and is the first West Point graduate to represent the Academy in the U.S. House of Representatives. He sits on the House Armed Services Committee and has prioritized sponsoring and cosponsoring extensive legislation to deliver relief for veterans, service members, and military families.
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