Massa Outraged by Plan to Close VA Unit Acute Psychiatric Unit Slated for Closure After Election

Retired Navy Commander slams those who "knew and did nothing"

Canandaigua, NY – Retired Navy Commander and Congressional candidate Eric Massa condemned plans by the Veterans Administration to close the acute psychiatric unit at the Canandaigua VA Hospital in late November. "This plan," said Massa, "means that the hospital would start discharging critically ill veterans by Thanksgiving. That is just plain wrong."

The acute psychiatric unit is one of the few remaining in-patient facilities at the Canandaigua VA and is a key element that qualified the hospital as a Center of Excellence. "It is outrageous that this administration would consider closing down critical facilities at a time when we have tens of thousands of new disabled veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan," said Massa. Veterans from those conflicts have been diagnosed with psychological trauma at a much higher rate than was the case in previous conflicts - underscoring the need for expansion of facilities like the one in Canandaigua. "We need to be talking about doubling funding for veterans' health care," said Massa, "not about cutting back essential services."

In particular, Massa took issue with the timing of the psychiatric unit’s closure. "Last month, on the morning of October 5, my opponent held a press conference on the grounds of the hospital to announce a supposed commitment to supporting this facility," said Massa. "Now, we find out that on that same day, the employees of unit 3B were told that their jobs would be gone by Thanksgiving."

Massa cited news reports that suggest that plans to close the unit were underway by the time of the public press conference. "The question we all should be asking is, How much did Randy Kuhl know, and when did he know it?"

Massa charged that Kuhl neglected his responsibilities to the veterans of the 29th District by allowing this plan to go forward without opposition. "Either he knew about the plans and chose to cover it up by participating in a press conference where he claimed to support the hospital," charged Massa, "or he was once again out of touch with the reality on the ground in our District."

Massa, a 24 year veteran of the United States Navy and outspoken advocate for veterans’ issues, asserted that this incident was just one more example of the need for new leadership in Washington. “This administration, and its rubber-stamp Congress, have lost sight of the things that matter to our communities - like keeping the promises we make to our men and women in uniform - and we desperately need new leadership." He added, "As they say at the VFW: 'You either support the troops, or you don’t."

The race to represent NY’s 29th District in Congress is one of the top challenger races in the country, and Massa aims to restore leadership and integrity to Congress. "We now have a government of, by, and for lobbyists, corporations, and millionaires," he says. "I’m running to change that." Massa’s campaign is focused on jobs, veterans' issues, health care, and national security. He is a vigorous champion of veterans' benefits and health care coverage for all Americans. Massa lives in Corning, NY with his wife of 20 years, Beverly, and their two teenage children, Justin and Alexandra.

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