Veterans Speak Out Closure Sparks Anger from Veterans
Veterans who have come to depend on the
services provided by the Canandaigua Acute Psychiatry Unit voiced concerns about
being moved to Buffalo and Syracuse.
In a recent interview one veteran accused the Department of Veterans Affairs of
"Blowing Smoke" when it touts the departments move from inpatient to outpatient
services.
Indeed the move to outpatients services is in keeping with the changes in
providing medical care nationwide but the need for inpatient services has not
changed it is augmented by outpatient care in providing a comprehensive
continuum of care caring for the whole patient dependent on his/her specific
needs, not wholly replacing it as evident by the provision for moving
Canandaigua's inpatients to the Buffalo and Syracuse VA's during their acute
phase of care.
It is our opinion that this move will further fragment that psychiatric care not
enhance it. The AFGE Local 3306 joins those politicians, veterans group and the
community in demanding that all plans to move the unit cease and desist while we
await the formal release of plan for the so called "Center for Mental Health
Excellence promised by Mr. Nicholson earlier this year. We echo the demand made
by Eric Massa Candidate for the House of Representatives from the 29th District
for "no more smoke and mirrors" when it comes to our veterans.
Check out the news story that brings our
veterans concerns to the light as it was covered by the Daily Messenger last
week - Click Here
Check out WROC Channel 8 coverage of Eric
Massa News Conference calling for an end to closure plans for the acute
psychiatric unit - Click Here
Battle Heats Up Canandaigua Psychiatric Unit's Closure Heats
Up Community's Demands
Plans for
the closure of the Acute Psychiatry Unit at Canandaigua has drawn a heated
response from the community, it's veterans and the political community in Western
New York.
With the election only 15 days away, the
democratic party is taking the battle cry to Washington with demands that the
Department of Veterans Affairs rethink its plan to close a unit that treats
those that are in need of the most critical of mental health care.
Indeed many questions are being raised as
to how patient care will be provided and what plans are being made to produce a
"Mental Health Center of Excellence" that does not not include an acute
psychiatric unit as part of its continuum of care.
Check out the Daily Messenger's coverage of
this controversy and the reaction of those who are currently running for
election in local races -
click here
Check out Eric Massa's response to this
announcement - click here
Veterans Groups Outraged
at the Closing of
Acute Psychiatry Unit at Canandaigua
As the word about the
imminent closure of the Acute Psychiatry Unit got out to local veterans the
outrage became evident, at a time when this nation is fighting on so many
fronts the loss of veteran services is unconscionable. Veterans let their
political representatives know that going ahead with this plan is a bad idea
that needs to be re-examined.
Eric Massa the democratic challenger for the congressional seat in the 29th
district has made it known that stopping the closure is Project #1 for his
administration once he is elected. In the newspapers, on the radio and
on television he condemned any change that denies western NY veterans any
services at this time of conflict during the "War on Terrorism". Check out
his response to the closing by - Clicking Here Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y.,
Friday wrote Veterans Affairs Secretary James Nicholson, urging him to delay
any decision on closing the acute psychiatric unit until a final plan for
the V.A. in Canandaigua is completed. The Veteran for Veterans
Organization Inc. under the direction of Gene Simes has called on the
elected officials serving the Western New York Region to do the same.
Read the story about
veterans reactions to the units closing -
Click Here
On Again Off Again
Canandaigua Administration Starts the Ball Rolling
With a flurry of media attention the
community was informed of the pending closure of the Canandaigua Acute
Psychiatry Unit, according to sources at the VA the unit will close on or about
November 30th, it is anticipated that the unit will stop accepting admissions
early in that month. According to facility sources the employees on that unit
will be offered other positions in the facility. AFGE has demanded the right to
bargain the plan for closure and those meetings are pending at this time.
Although the plan to close the unit dates back to the previous administration
under the direction of Secretary Principe, Secretary Nicholson has done nothing
to reverse that decision.
See how the local news covered the
announcement of the units closure with coverage by the
Daily
Messenger and the
Democrat and Chronicle is available by clicking on their names.
The Never-Ending Story
CARES Returns to Canandaigua
On October 5th the Secretary of the Department of
Veteran Affairs let the veterans, employees and community know what it had
decided for the Canandaigua VA and it campus. With all the pomp and circumstance
usually reserved for heads of state and visiting dignitaries Gerald Gross,
Principle Deputy Undersecretary for Health briefed the CARES Local Advisory
Panel on it preliminary decisions regarding Canandaigua's future.
Although the information contained in the announcement was vague and lacked the
details one would have expected from Washington, the intent seems quite plain.
The CARES Commission will recommend that the facility be utilized as an
Outpatient Clinic with a 120 bed nursing home affiliated with the campus. It
also took all plans to relocate the facility off the table committing itself to
preserving the campus as the center of all improvements that will be made to the
facility.
However as with anything else the government plans, the devil is in the details.
Beyond what was announced the government failed to provide any information as to
what programming improvements could be expected with the physical improvements
that would be made.
Indeed the LAP was advised that definitive answers regarding the changes to the
Canandaigua campus would not be finalized until next spring.
The whole session left the veterans who attended the session with the feeling
that little had been accomplished beyond the proposals that were made two years
ago when the CARES Commission made its first appearance on the grounds in
Canandaigua, Sue Kaszynski, Gene Simes and others voiced their disbelief that
they were given anything but the company line in the face of an upcoming
election with the local candidate facing a difficult battle from his democrat
opponent.
The CARES Local Advisory Panel under the leadership of Amo Houghton is scheduled
to meet again in November to review the current plan.
During the subsequent question and answer period VA Director Craig Howard made
it plain that Canandaigua would begin to phase out the acute psychiatric unit
and transfer the responsibility for its psychiatric inpatients to the Syracuse
and Buffalo VA's so the unit could close. This change was outlined by Anthony
Principe prior to the CARES process beginning.
To see how the Daily Messenger covered the
days events - Click Here
