WEST POINT ALUM CONGRESSMAN PAT RYAN RAISES THE ALARM ON TRUMP PLAN TO CUT SERVICES AT MILITARY TREATMENT FACILITIES, STRIP MEDICAL ACCESS FROM HUDSON VALLEY SERVICEMEMBERS
West Point Alum Congressman Pat Ryan Raises the Alarm on Trump Plan To Cut Services at Military Treatment Facilities, Strip Medical Access from Hudson Valley Servicemembers
The Trump Administration plans to “downsize” 17 Military Treatment Facilities, including Keller Army Community Hospital (KACH) at USMA at West Point
Eliminating Keller’s inpatient facility would strip critical medical care away from West Point cadets, active servicemembers and retirees, as well as their families
The first West Point alum to represent the Academy in Congress, Ryan is raising the alarm on the reduction in services for the Hudson Valley military community and demanding Keller’s inpatient unit remain operational
WEST POINT, NY – Today, Congressman Pat Ryan raised the alarm on the Trump Administration’s plan to “downsize” 17 Military Treatment Facilities (MTFs) across the country, including Keller Army Community Hospital (KACH) at the United States Military Academy at West Point. The plan would downgrade Keller from a community hospital where patients can receive high-quality inpatient treatment into what is effectively an urgent care – stripping critical medical care away from West Point cadets, servicemembers, retirees, and their families. Patients will no longer be able to receive treatment and observation overnight, instead being forced to seek care at already-overloaded private facilities.
The first West Point alum to represent the Academy in Congress, Congressman Ryan wrote a letter to Defense Health Agency Acting Director David Smith, demanding that the Keller inpatient unit remain open. Especially as he continues his fight to reopen 20 inpatient beds at Castle Point VA, which closed amid Trump’s hiring freeze, and following the passage of the “Big Beautiful Bill” – which threatens to kick up to 1.6 million veterans off their Medicaid – Congressman Ryan is demanding better for the Hudson Valley military community.
“As the first West Point graduate to represent the Academy in Congress, I have a solemn duty to ensure that the entire West Point community – the cadets, active service members, retirees, and their families – have access to high-quality health care. I’ve also experienced the exceptional care at Keller firsthand, so I know how devastating this closure would be,” said Congressman Pat Ryan. “We should be working together to improve medical care for our military community – not degrading it further. Under this plan, a cadet experiencing a mental health crisis – who could have previously been instantly admitted at Keller – will have to travel 40 minutes for inpatient care or overnight monitoring. Student athletes will likely turn to schools with inpatient recovery options, weakening Army recruitment. Health care consolidation and Medicaid cuts are already straining health care for civilians in the Hudson Valley – the last thing any of us need is fewer options. I am urging the Defense Health Agency to reverse this decision – it is a dereliction of their duty, a slap in the face to the brave men and women who serve our country, and will have devastating impacts on our entire community.”
Keller Army Community Hospital provides a range of health care services for the cadets and military personnel stationed at West Point, including inpatient and surgical care. “Downsizing” the facility will force West Point patients to seek inpatient care off-post at private facilities, running the risk that they will experience significantly increased wait times and a lower quality of care. It also terminates Keller’s ability to provide hospital care – which has alarming implications for patients in emergency situations. Not only does this add an extra burden to patients in emergency situations, it would divert significant resources from cadets and instructors who would then be responsible for transporting patients.
This proposal comes at a time when the health care system in the Hudson Valley is already significantly strained and struggling to provide care to the civilian population, which will only be exacerbated by massive healthcare cuts in President Trump’s budget bill. It also comes following years of reductions in services at Keller, including the loss of labor and delivery, pediatric, podiatric, and ear, nose and throat care. Past decisions to cut services and systemic underfunding have led to a downward cycle that has significantly diminished care at Keller.
Further, closing Keller’s inpatient unit has potentially degrading effects on West Point’s capability to recruit talent. Everything done at USMA impacts the readiness of the Army, so having access to 24/7 specialized care is crucial. Additionally, West Point has 30 NCAA sports teams whose athletes receive treatment at Keller. Without the inpatient unit, in particular the orthopedic capabilities, cadets will have to travel at least 40 minutes to the next closest facility.
Congressman Ryan has consistently fought against reductions in care for Hudson Valley families and military personnel. He has been rallying with the community to re-open 20 inpatient beds at Castle Point VA, which closed during Trump’s hiring freeze earlier this year. He is also working to hold health giant United accountable for decreasing care quality and access while raising health care costs across the Hudson Valley. Most recently, he voted against the Republican budget which threatens to rip health care from 17 million people – including veterans and military personnel – nationwide.
The full text of Congressman Ryan’s letter to Defense Health Agency Acting Director David Smith is included below:
Dear Acting Director Smith,
I write to express my strong opposition to your proposal to eliminate inpatient care at Keller Army Community Hospital at West Point. This closure would be disastrous – downgrading Keller from a trusted community hospital, where patients can receive high-quality treatment for complex conditions and stay overnight, to little more than an urgent care. It would severely diminish the level of care available to cadets and servicemembers at West Point – an institution of critical importance to our armed forces and national security.
Proposing such a plan is a dereliction of your duty and a slap in the face to the countless cadets, soldiers, retirees, and family members of the West Point community who sacrifice so much for our country. You must preserve the inpatient unit at Keller and work to improve the quality of medical care for the entire West Point community.
Yet you’ve decided to move forward with this plan without thoroughly thinking through the consequences or ensuring that West Point retains high-quality, accessible healthcare services.
As you know, the inpatient unit is open 24/7, provides a higher level of treatment for patients with complex conditions, and allows them to stay overnight for observation and rehabilitation after treatment. Thanks to this unit, patients at Keller can receive high-quality care on-post, in a familiar setting that is tailored to their unique needs.
Your plan would eliminate the inpatient beds, converting this unit to an urgent care with limited hours, fewer on-call physicians and staff, and no ability to admit patients in need of treatment and observation. This will terminate Keller’s ability to provide hospital care. It will force cadets and service members who need care to travel far off-post to private facilities that do not have a history of working with this population. This will have devastating implications for patients in emergency situations. For example, currently a cadet who is undergoing a behavioral health crisis can be admitted, within minutes, to an inpatient bed at Keller at any hour – under your plan, their only option is to be driven to a private hospital. Not only does this add an extra burden to patients in emergency situations, it would divert significant time and resources from cadets and instructors who would then be responsible for transporting patients to area hospitals.
This plan is particularly ill-considered given that the healthcare system in the Hudson Valley is already severely strained and struggling to meet the needs of the civilian population in the area. Forcing West Point patients to seek inpatient care off-post runs the risk that they will experience significantly increased wait times and a lower quality of care – an unacceptable insult to those you are sworn to serve.
This decision comes after years of reductions in services at Keller, including the loss of labor and delivery, pediatric, podiatric, and ear, nose and throat care. Past decisions to cut services and systemic underfunding have led to a downward cycle that has significantly diminished care at Keller. We should be working together to strengthen Keller and improve care for West Point patients, not eliminating services and ripping care away from heroes and their families.
As the first West Point graduate to represent the United States Military Academy in Congress, I’m committed to ensuring the entire West Point community receives the support it deserves. I believe this proposal is deeply misguided and would harm the very people the Defense Health Agency is obligated to serve. I strongly urge you to reverse course and keep the inpatient unit at Keller open, easily accessible, and fully staffed.
Thank you for your attention to this matter. I look forward to hearing from you, and stand ready to work with you to support the cadets, servicemembers, and families of West Point.
cc: Dr. Stephen Ferrara, Acting Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs
Sincerely,
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